Tsukino Kage: Moon Shadow
by ChocolateCarnival
Summary: The Shiba vampire twins, Shiro and Ichigo, have grown up in Seireitei surrounded by their mother's love and their father's protection all their life. A father who is the King of the Purebloods and loyal to his family. However, when their world comes under attack they will be thrust headlong into the Human World as they prepare to face unknown enemies with only Urahara's help. Yaoi
1. Chapter 1: Your Protection

Hell! It's not even funny when you finish an 8000+ new story in just two days. God! I'm so damn tired, but I just couldn't stop writing. This fic is going to become a problem for me because it's been screaming through my head that it just _had_ to be started and I _had_ to finish the first chapter by today.

So, here I am and well fuck...now what? At least I managed to clear up some days to finish up Requiem's next chapter that I've missed posting for last week because of my other works. But this story, it's going to become quite complex. Especially because I'm incorporating elements from both Bleach canon and a completely Vampire AU. This story, I apologize before hand, will raise many questions in the chapters I write because I don't have enough space to explain every little detail I write about of how the two worlds of my AU and Bleach have become intertwined.

Feel free to ask any questions if you feel the need to, I'll try to answer them in the Author's note of the next chapter. You will see that, like in the newer parts of Bleach, I'm incorporating the Vandenreich into this, their role will be explained later as well as the Arrancar so a warning for spoilers is also on alert here. The Shinigami, who retain their powers, are all Vampires as well. The three traitors, well I'm having Gin be good in this story and he is still the captain of the 3rd division.

Little thing to keep in mind, Ichigo's hair in this fic (just for imagination purposes) is like it was when he fought against Aizen and before he used the Final Getsuga...and Shiro, well his is like it was when Ichigo met him in his soul when he was learning the Final Getsuga.

Hmmm...that's all I think. But for **now please read these warnings**! This story is considered **mature YAOI, ** so there are **M/M** **lemons** and **limes** (even a treat in the first chapter). **Violence**, **lots of blood**...what would a vampire fic be without it!

**Now the most important one**! This is a **Hichigo x Ichigo centric fic**, they are the only pairing and **in this story they **_**are**_** twins**! **If incest on any level upsets you, please don't read this! Turn back now!**

I think that's all I'm going to say now, otherwise I'll spoil it for those who decide to stay! Please enjoy my honeys!

* * *

**Chapter 1: Your Protection**

_It was cold, strikingly cold for the late autumn winds that streaked harshly through the quiet streets of Seireitei late one October evening. The early evening air, tinted and darkened by the spread of uneven rain clouds and the lack of a moon illuminating the sky, crept stealthily upon the three moving shadows that were walking hand in hand across the bridge that divided the Palace of Light grounds from the courts and buildings of the Inner City. The two smaller shadows that were walking a few steps behind a beautiful woman with flowing brown locks and warm honey brown eyes, were pressed so closely together that it was difficult to tell where the one ended and the other began. _

_Small fingers were affectionately twined together, two identical warm smiles spread across their features as small childlike fangs peaked out at the world from beneath petal pink lips. The two deadly pinpricks of white on each child, the marked fangs of a pure born vampire, were illuminated in Seireitei's artificial source of light as the bright blue floating balls of kido danced in the air in two symmetrical lines that crossed the bridge and even drifted through the streets at set intervals to brighten the Pureblood City when it truly came to life at night. The twin nine-year-old boys however paid no attention to the moving shadows spilling into the streets behind them at the call of the night, didn't even see the polite and respectful bows offered to their mother and their passing forms as they merely giggled and laughed together quite contentedly. _

_Completely caught up in their own little Twin World that no one could hope to penetrate..._

_It was the first time in two weeks, since the younger of the two had gotten sick, that their Okaa-sama had promised to take them to the city park to play next to the river. So the two brothers kept themselves occupied with little games as they followed the winding path towards their favourite destination in the city that their father ruled over as the Pureblood King. Their forms shifted and flitted through shunpo as they ran and bolted around their mother's feet with delighted and joyful laughter. _

_Wise brown eyes however, would never stray far from her sons' flickering forms as she even offered up a few playful tugs to small arms to keep them from going too far or sneaked a few stray kisses of affection to the tops of white and orange locks when they got too close. Her flowing formal turquoise kimono often became a shield of protection for her youngest, Ichigo, as his shock of bright orange hair buried against her thigh whilst he tried to hide himself from his brother's more overenthusiastic attempts to capture him in Onigoto (1*). When exceptionally pale arms finally wound around a neck affectionately to capture little Ichigo, two sets of golden eyes resting upon a sea of black sclera gazed at each other lovingly before both Ichigo and Shiro gave toothy grins of mischief instead._

_Ichigo had quickly found that his brother capturing him wasn't so bad at all. In fact, Shiro didn't want to let go now and Ichigo was just happy that they could be close again. Especially when his small body sought to drag some of his brother's bodily warmth into himself through the warm cotton of their matching yukata and haoris. The small orangette laughed happily when his beloved Shiro-nii pressed a kiss to his forehead and pulled a black scarf tighter around Ichigo's neck to keep him warm against the rising wind. The older of the two even shared half of his own scarf when his Ichigo began to shiver against him. _

_'Shiro-nii!' Ichigo giggled at the tickling sensation of his brother's white hair, as spiky and just as messy as his, brushed against his cheek when Shiro leaned against Ichigo's shoulder the deeper they transversed into the forest surrounding the clearing of the local park. This was their little spot, the only place that their mother would allow them to play outside of the castle walls...it was the spot where their little family of four, when they could all sneak out together, would enjoy picnics during warm summer nights and the twins could amuse themselves beside the magnificent river that stretched into the distance. _

_'Okaa-sama?! Come play with us!' Ichigo called happily, his small frame flickering out of existence as the twins used their inherent speed to continue their game of Onigoto on a bigger scale than before._

_'Yes! Come play Okaa-sama!' Shiro intoned after his brother as well and Masaki just chuckled softly at their calls. Settling herself on the cool grass instead as she pulled a book from her sleeve before she gracefully curled her legs under her comfortably. A snap of her fingers later had several warm balls of light swirling above the open pages of her book to offer her better light to read by as she glanced over the top of the pages quite slyly at two eager little faces now glittering with joy a few meters away from her. She gave a mock, tired sigh before slumping her shoulders and clutched the fabric stretched over her heart as if in pain. _

_'Ah, ah~! Okaa-sama just cannot keep up with you boys anymore...you're getting _too_ fast for me! So why don't you boys play with each other for a while, hmmm? I thought you'd rather not spend a second apart my lovelies, so why would I interfere now? Leave Momma to read her book, just don't stray too far Ichigo, Shiro. You know the rules. If you're in danger or feel scared just scream and raise your reiatsu as high as you can and I'll be _right_ there.' Despite the disappointment that their mother would not play with them, the twins only pouted briefly before they disappeared again._

_They had their mother all to themselves for the rest of the night and that was enough for them to restart their little game of chase and capture for keeps. _

_'I'm coming Ichi!' Shiro cautioned as he chased after the flash of orange that retreated towards the edge of the forest where they were allowed to play. He could easily outrun his little brother when he tried; Shiro knew that but he always kept a close eye on Ichigo. Making sure to remain just a step behind to catch his beloved Ichigo should he fall. His Ichi, the only being in the world that completed him and he completed in return, was prone to oftentimes overexert himself and get sick. So when he saw Ichigo start to breathe a little too hard and his body wavered too much in their steps with obvious pain, he tackled his brother to the ground and they rolled together on the ground instead. _

_After a long time of keeping themselves immersed in games of their liking that did not involve so much running, their near inexhaustible energy seemed to run out as Shiro and Ichigo curled together in a sweet embrace upon sweet smelling grass. Shiro eagerly gathering Ichigo in his arms as they rested their foreheads together softly, revelling in the sensations of belonging and completeness that engulfed them so headily where they lay. The older of the twins, however, just when he was about to drift off into a light slumber a few minutes later, like his little brother already was, a darkness in the air made him sit up and instinctively pull Ichigo closer to him. He shifted on the grass uneasily, sharp golden eyes searching for the source of the unease as the undeniable feeling of 'something-out-of-place' caused even Ichigo to become restless in his sleep. _

_Okaa-sama was nowhere to be seen, well it was expected, they had run pretty far away but when he reached out the tendrils of his power, searching for the maternal bond that bound them together, Shiro reeled when he felt it waver and then threaten to snap with a burst of her own powerful reiatsu flooding the clearing to light up the night like a beacon of unrestrained bloodlust... power..pain...What the _hell_ was this? _

_'N-Nii-san?' Ichigo asked softly, wiping at his eyes sleepily as a concerned frown began to furrow his brow when he too felt it. Ichigo was trying to understand just _why_ he had woken when he suddenly winced at the abrupt tightness of his brother's embrace tugging on his waist and they were both instantly smothered within a blanket of heady fear. There were no more questions, Ichigo struggled to get out of his brother's embrace as they staggered to their feet together. He had always been the more sensitive of the two, so when he felt his bond with his mother dimming...there was no question in his childlike mind that something was very wrong. _

_'O-Okaa-sama!' He yelled near panic, startled when Shiro gripped his left hand tightly in his before a flicker in his brother's impressive power materialized a pure white Tensa Zangetsu in his right hand. The thrumming power radiating from the thin daitō made Ichigo balk in fright as it washed over him in waves of both comfort and protection. They weren't allowed to show this part of their power to anyone besides their father when they trained together. And now..._

_'S-Shiro-nii!' Ichigo yelled frantically. 'P-put it away, p-put it away! Otou-sama's going to get angry! He said we're not allowed to—.' The younger of the two was silenced instantly with a small squeeze to his hand when another flicker in their mother's spiritual essence dimmed. Causing frightened tears to flood Ichigo's golden eyes as he clung tighter to his brother's unwavering hand. The only thing that kept him tethered to the world. This...he didn't like this...it was too much like the dreams he had been having when he was sick. And they never ended well. In hopes of helping his mother too, Ichigo reached into himself and called upon the teen spirit of their shared Zanpactō. A pitch black Tensa Zangetsu resting within his hand as they rushed towards the clearing to possessively protect their mother together. _

_'Shiro! Take Ichigo and run! G-get to your father! Quickly!' There was so much blood, Ichigo could smell it...it was a heady familiar scent that hung in the air and then there was also the foul stench of Hunter blood that swirled together with his mother's scent. Golden eyes gazed confusedly at the scene before him, wondering why his mother was pinned to ground with several crude weapons digging into her stomach, shoulders and wrists. There were ten or more Arrancar crouched over her, but where they came from neither twin knew because they were supposed to stay on the other side of the river. And her blood, Ichigo sniffled, it flowing in rivers from her as her brown eyes turned a deadly gold and black to mirror their own when she recognized them. _

_Young Ichigo was rooted to the spot as his brother began to pull him away...began to drag him away from his mother. He cried, it was _just_ like then...just like..._

_'Hurry! S-Shiro! You have to get away. GET AWAY FROM HERE!' Ichigo was in shock, his Zanpactō clutched in his trembling hand as they flitted away. He couldn't...not anymore...his chest was heaving...pain blossoming in his eyes, power building deeply within his veins as he turned around defiantly...he had to stop this...had to stop it before it got out of hand...had to save her somehow!_

_Okaa-sama!_

_**'Getsuga Tenshō!'**_

**...**

'_Getsuga Tenshō_? What the _hell_ are you dreaming about this time, King?' Even though the watery baritone sounded harsh and demanding to anyone listening to it, it was the resounding murmur of reality to Ichigo that ripped him from the sorrowful clutches of one of his saddest repetitive dreams that often visited him during Day Sleep. But that was not all, there was also the underlying tone of concern in his brother's voice that _only_ Ichigo could hear. It was that concern, stemming from his brother's ability to sometimes share his emotions, that caused golden eyes bathed in a sea of black to finally flutter open from behind pale lids at the call of his name as a small groan escaped parted petal pink lips.

'S-Shiro? W-what time is it?' Ichigo mumbled sleepily, scrubbing the palm of his hand across his face in hopes of waking himself further as he blew out a tired sigh. Lazy golden eyes gazed over his shoulder to connect with a matching pair that was hovering over his shoulder quite concernedly as the arm thrown across his waist tightened so very slightly when Ichigo's eyes fluttered shut again at the heavy weight pulling them down unbidden of his permission.

'Yo, Ichi! Don't fall asleep again. I _finally_ managed to wake after you've been screaming 'help me' like a simpering girl for the last ten minutes non-stop.' Sharp and undeniably strong golden eyes snapped open instantly at the taunt, their haunting depths spelled danger as Ichigo glared wilfully across his shoulder at his twin's smirking features. Oh, there was _no_ doubt that Shiro could meet his glare full on, even overpower it with his own deadly, insane smirk. But those words were a lie and they both knew it. Ichigo did not scream in his sleep...he talked sometimes..._very_ erotically (just ask Shiro)...but he did _not_ scream! Damn it!

So Ichigo deliberately shifted on his back to better get his lay; turning in such a way that he forced Shiro to change his position as well with the need to uncurl his arm from around Ichigo's thin waist. Even though Ichigo secretly mourned the loss of the warm, familiar touch that his twin's body pressed so close to him represented. His small vindictive action however, outlined Ichigo's subtle mistake in judgement when Shiro took it as an invitation to slide himself between Ichigo's parted legs and bring their bodies even closer together in the curl of a sensual embrace.

'You want to challenge me, King?' Shiro breathed threateningly, his golden eyes flashing hungrily as he pushed himself up on the palms of his hand so that he could hover over Ichigo's now shock frozen form with their noses mere millimetres apart. 'You should know how that's goin' te work out fer ya.' Before the orangette could begin to protest against the heady and new proximity, especially so early in the evening when the rest of palace had not even begun to stir, cool black fingernails were sliding down his shoulders, tracing biceps softly in a random but undeniable pattern of pleasure before they finally encircled Ichigo's wrists in one hand and successfully pinned the struggling limbs to the futon in a vice-like grip. The black nailed fingers of Shiro's free hand now softly brushing away the stray locks of semi-long messy orange that clung to Ichigo's forehead and fell into his left eye to hide it from the world as his challenging gaze was suddenly dimmed with the flush spreading a slow heat across his nose.

'Oh...' Ichigo shivered at the tender caress of cool fingers tracing sharp but gentle black nails down his neck to rest against a beating pulse point that was beginning to flutter in want beneath the pads of exploring fingers. The orange haired vampire (considered twenty-one and at the stage where all vampires stopped aging ) shuddered deeply at the feeling of his sleeping yukata falling into a disarray of dark blue silk that spread around him sensually as his brother leaned forward to bring their lips together softly. Ichigo instinctively parted his lips for the swipe of an impatient blue tongue, relaxing into the erotic tangle of lips, tongue and teeth as his tensed shoulders fell back against the soft spread of pillows beneath him.

It was the silky material of his yukata that shifted and slid sensually against the skin of his parted thighs as Ichigo raised his knees to cradle Shiro against him to deepen their kiss that caused Ichigo to arch back into the soft sheets with a drawn out moan when deadly fangs scraped against the tip of his tongue in warning before they bit down in a flash of pain the moment that Ichigo tried to take control of the kiss instead. It was eventually the flood of blood into Ichigo's mouth that forced the twins apart as they waited for the small wound to heal. There was a lazy string of saliva, glistening pink with tainted blood in the early evening moon, that connected them still untill Ichigo tilted his head to the side in submission when sharp fangs nibbled on the shell of his ear and a warm nose nuzzled his cheek lovingly. The appendage shifted sweetly scented orange locks that clung to Ichigo's cheek and fell between his eyes when Shiro's own hip length white hair (so pure in colour that it represented the origins of his beautiful name) fell over his shoulder to tickle Ichigo's chest and captured the two of them in a little spider-web world of their own making.

'K-kami, S-Shiro! I-if you're hungry then just say so.' Ichigo grumbled in annoyance when another hitched moan lodged itself in his chest. His cheeks flushing a soft rosy red when he felt his own hormones begin to respond to his brother's proximity and the teasing touches that his splay of chaste kisses against Ichigo's jaw and neck caused. Those two sharpened fangs however, trailed a heated path of fire and promise down Ichigo's neck as the younger of the two arched his hips to try and gain some friction for his quickly hardening arousal. There was no denying that Shiro knew how to distract Ichigo from unpleasant thoughts and painful memories should it be desperately needed, and without even knowing it, his brother was once again offering Ichigo a sweet courteous form of escape by distracting his mind from the dream he had just woken from.

'Nggh! S-shit! H-hurry up, S-Shiro-nii...I-I can't...please!'

'Request rejected, King.' Shiro purred lasciviously, lifting his head and nose from the supple flesh of Ichigo's neck as dark golden eyes, clouded with sheer pleasure, gazed deeply into his brother's lust glazed eyes as he brought their forehead together in order to draw out the building pleasure already spiking headily between them to share an affectionate Eskimo's kiss. Shiro was offering Ichigo a few seconds to recapture his fading breath; a chance to protest against the slow spread of their need. But Ichigo merely threw his head back in frustration as another plea for more drifted past his kiss swollen lips. And with the way Ichigo's dishevelled silk yukata had fallen open over his chest and had draped across his parted thighs in the early evening moonlight that peaked from the gaps in the curtains to ignite a silvery sheen against pale skin...Shiro was finding it harder and harder to control the deep hunger that gnawed at his gut.

It was always like this with Shiro and Ichigo...both of them would lose control around each other when the _hunger_ got too much and then there was no stopping the pleasured bliss from partaking in each others' blood that overcame them when things got too much. They were a strange pair, Soul Society's _only_ twins to ever be born alive and that in turn meant that they could never drink another's blood but each others. And as they grew, so they fell into their respective roles. The first to cave was the first to submit and it was _always_ Ichigo, there was just something inside of him that gave Ichigo so much more pleasure in submitting to his brother than the prospect of dominating over the pale man himself. So with his fangs already lengthened across bloody red lips, Ichigo gazed deeply and needily up at the other half of his soul in a desperate call for more. His lips parted in panting breaths as he watched Shiro barely suppress his groan as his twin now nipped at Ichigo's protruding bottom lip. Both of them moaning in pleasure at the sweetness.

'F-fuck! M-more, Shiro! Hurry!' It was astoundingly beautiful for Shiro to witness as Ichigo come undone under his hands and will alone. He was drawing out this feeding for a reason though, as he let go of his brother's clasped wrists just as long fingers eagerly wound in his white locks in an attempt to force his fangs towards Ichigo's barred neck. He gazed through half-lidded eyes as orange locks tumbled into glazed golden eyes and Ichigo struggled to breathe against the assault of the enthralment...his pulse was aflutter with a beautiful, instinctual call that reached out to the older of the twins the moment that Ichigo curved his back and rubbed their straining arousals together. God, Shiro had been so captivated that he had barely noticed those. But now as his own black silk yukata cascaded down his shoulders at Ichigo's sneakily tugging fingers around the obi and impatiently shoved it from his shoulders, he laughed deeply.

'We can't go too far, Ichigo. Kami knows _that_ man will be barging in here soon. I can barely stand this...you are_ far_ too beautiful and erotic for your own good.' Ichigo's only possible response was a mix between a pleasured whimper and an angered grunt as Shiro pressed his lips and a slick tongue against the fluttering pulse calling out to him. It was then that Ichigo began to writhe beneath him in earnest. With such erotic and breathy little sounds of pleasured bliss spilling from his lips, it was only sending a heady rush of arousal that hardened Shiro's already straining arousal further in need. The _sheer_ heat that Ichigo gave off when he was worked into a state such as this, Shiro snapped his hips forward. Causing two hardened cocks to slide together in a mixture of hypersensitive pleasure.

'Tell me what you want, Ichi.' He breathed shakily against sweaty skin as Ichigo drew out another heady whine and tried to moved his hips; his own sharpening black nails now dug painfully into the back of Shiro's neck as he forced his brother's fangs closer to his wildly pulsing vein. 'B-bite me! Damn it!' Ichigo demanded in pure frustration, lurching forward with a cry _instantly_ when his brother obeyed his request without a second thought. A shuddering breath whooshed past Ichigo's lips as he twined his fingers in long white locks at the piercing pang of pain that started the interlude of overwhelming pleasure that soon began to wash deeply into his bloodied veins. His cries were soon spiralling into more drawn out moans as hips undulated and ground against Shiro uncontrollably just to increase the already intense rapture that threatened to burn him from inside out.

'Hmmnnnh! S-Shiro...S-Shiro...more...oh god.' A blissful fog was settling across Ichigo's mind as he voiced his pleasure the instant a warm palm wrapped around both of their straining cocks and tugged a slow rhythm that matched the small, lazily suckling sensation chasing fire into his very nerves. Ichigo felt his heart stutter at the pleasure, doubling the sensations when Shiro opened the soul deep bond between them to increase the already painfully hypersensitive build of instinct towards their fast approaching climax. Sweat was beginning to bead against Ichigo's forehead, the slickened sensation of their bodies moving together in an easier but slow, sensual rhythm had Ichigo wheezing and struggling for a proper breath that did not hitch in his breath or came out as a low moan of his brother's name.

Shiro was drawing it out on purpose, slowing his hips as he pulled away. A blue tongue tracing up Ichigo's neck to close the weeping wounds as he leaned forward...his golden eyes now a pool of sated bliss as they fell shut behind pale eyelids and a warm tongue forced its way into Ichigo's mouth. It worked as both a gag to keep Ichigo's sounds muffled and offered Ichigo a flood of his own blood when Shiro bit into his tongue to seal their exchange of unadulterated pleasure. His hand picked up the racing rhythm against their throbbing arousals where Ichigo was the first to come, the dizzying rush of having his blood taken and then tasting the warmth of his brother's through a bloodied kiss...it was just too much. Ichigo sobbed his release, back bowing deeply as his toes curled into the spread of cotton sheets. A touch of warm white, pearly liquid erupting between them and slickening the path for his brother's hand as Shiro released himself with several more tugs.

'Thanks, Ichi.' Shiro murmured in Ichigo's blush stained ear as he tugged the sheets across their cooling forms after having fixed their yukata again. If it was one thing that they had learned early on, no matter how vast the palace was, there was _no_ escape from their insane father...neither would ever live it down should he know just how intimate their feedings could get sometimes. But there were times that Shiro doubted how he could_ not_ know. Ichigo could very loud sometimes, as he had just demonstrated, but it didn't matter anymore. If Isshin decided to disturb them from their post-orgasmic bliss, he'd be dealing with a Getsuga Tenshō to the face.

''t'was my pleasure, Shiro.' Ichigo replied sleepily after a while, curling into his brother's warm embrace as his sated golden eyes fell shut and he prepared to fall back asleep. Shiro merely murmured just as sleepily against his brother's shoulder as they both drifted off. There was nothing more that needed to be said, not after everything that had already been exchanged through the sharing of their blood. After all, understanding each other's needs, wants and desires came like breathing to them. It was simple, Shiro had needed blood and Ichigo had needed a comforted distraction.

This was how their bonds were woven unbreakably together, it was something that could never be snapped.

* * *

Tired golden eyes blinked open half an hour later with a stifled yawn as Shiro stretched out beneath the sheets (careful not to disturb Ichigo's resting form) as he sighed quite contentedly. However, when his gaze landed on the muffled silvery light filtering in from the black curtains he was instantly irate. His eyes narrowing down into a deadly slits when he realized that not even an hour had passed since that night's half moon had touched the darkened sky. And he was already awake? What_ the_ hell? But then the hairs on the back of his neck rose and Shiro realized that _something_ must have dragged him from his blissful sleep for a reason. This time however, it wasn't the frightening sensations of experiencing Ichigo's nightmare along with him but what else could it have been... The only other time that his body warned him like this was when—.

'AAAH! GOOOOD MOOOORNING MY BEAUTIFUL SONS! ICHIGO! SHIRO!'

Yup, that'd do it. Golden eyes snapped open from their lazy half-lidded glare as Shiro pulled himself to sit up. Gently pushing Ichigo to rest in his lap protectively before he hid his brother's still flushed features within warm and rumbled covers so that only a shock of orange was visible to the outside world mere seconds before the door was forced open with a crazy flying kick. _No_ one was allowed to see his Ichigo as he was now, still slightly drooling from his previously pleasured haze and clearly deeply and headily caught up in a restful sleep where no one was allowed to wake him either. Shiro lazily lifted the palm of his right hand so that it faced the door that his father had just flung himself through, his usual morning attack halted as the older of the two twins glared directly at the pale skinned, beardless, black spiky haired man that had come storming into their lair.

There was no warning, no screaming abuse that Ichigo usually adopted, and no violence that stopped their father. This time it was just one word that instantly stilled Isshin as it swirled through the entirety of the palace in a deadly push of powerful reiatsu.

'Getsuga—.' Shiro incanted...watching with insane fascination and a smirk of satisfaction as his father's brown eyes grew wide at his son's pitch black reiatsu that had already begun to gather around the tips of his fingers and palm as he called to his Zanpactō's power without even using Zangetsu as a medium himself. His dangerous threat had his father wildly swinging his arms up in defence and distress as he retreated out of the open doors and into the hall outside. Dark brown eyes thoughtfully watching his two sons curled together on their large shared futon with the sheer mesh curtains draped from the ceiling that partly shielded them from the outside world. If his oldest could pull off that little stunt without even summoning his sword...it was time their training was kicked up a notch. And Ichigo, always the more innocent of the two...he was so beautiful tucked protectively against his brother's form. The father flinched however as the long white haired twin sharpened his gaze in a possessive light when he caught Isshin looking past the falling sheets.

Those eyes were as hard as flint... they could cut through steel if needed and now that the glare was directed at anyone who dared to trespass on their Saturday morning lay-in...the threat of the Getsuga Tenshō had not been diminished either. In fact, it seemed to only hum with its rising power as it became bigger and bigger and darker and darker the longer that Isshin hovered on the threshold to their room.

'NO! _Not_ in the palace!' Isshin finally cracked, stepping away with flailing arms as he retreated even further away. '_Not_ in the palace, Shiro! Your mother will kill me!' And it was true, he was already dreading what his wife would do to him when more than half of the Family Wing would be blown to bits because his oldest son was woken up too early. Hell, that little display of strength would probably take more than half the Palace of Light with it as well, never mind just a few rooms. He would never admit it, but Isshin was proud of his sons...the two of them together were a deadly combination, both of them alone were stronger than him but when put together...it was like a hurricane that couldn't be contained. After all they had both been gifted with not only excellent skill and instinct from their father but were blessed with their mother's deadly grace and overwhelmingly intuitive powers.

'Disappear from my sight Oyaji, before I change my mind. Let us sleep, damn it! The moon hasn't even risen properly and Ichigo is tired.' Their father needed no more warning as the door to their room was closed softly and his retreating footsteps ran towards the far end of the corridor as his childish wailing tumbled into the atmosphere with a: 'Wha! Masaki our oldest son is so _mean_ to me! And beautiful Ichigo~! He didn't even open his eyes when his father came to greet him on this fine evening~!' There was the resounding noise of quiet and more controlled footsteps that echoed softly on the marble floors when another presence dared to pass down the twin's private hall in the wake of their father.

'Have you been bothering them again, Anata? I thought I told you not to wake them so early. It's your own fault if you—' Their mother's more dulcet tones hushed and calmed the tension in the air as the conversation flitted away and the two of them retreated deeper into the palace to leave their beloved children to themselves. Inside the shared room though, Ichigo shifted beneath the sheets and peaked up from the covers thrown over his head as he gazed lovingly at his brother's form for several moments before a deadly smirk, much like the one still pulling at Shiro's lips, blossomed across Ichigo's petal pink lips as well.

'That was _mean_, Shiro.' Ichigo smirked deviously as he shuffled from his brother's lap to seek out the softness of the pillows instead. 'Not that I'm complaining, though.' The youngest twin added quickly as he stifled his own yawn and beckoned his brother beneath the comfortable sheets with him. He didn't have to wait long before Shiro's now closing eyes fell shut and the white haired twin fell back against the spread of exotic cushion and pillows to snuggle against his brother's willing form as he pulled Ichigo closer to him and captured him around a yukata clad waist. Which, Shiro belatedly realized, was starting to become erotically dishevelled again. With a disappointed sigh he decided to play the good older brother and resettled the dark blue crisscrossing silk and tightened the black and white striped obi instead.

'Hmm,' Ichigo murmured softly as he rested his head against a warm shoulder that was draped in a splay of beautifully long white locks. 'Sometimes I think that Otou-sama just needs the proper motivation to leave us alone. You do it better than me though, Shiro.' The orangette praised as he closed his lazy golden eyes and prepared to fall asleep again, that was untill he heard his brother's amused snicker.

'It's because I'm so _mean_, Ichi. Now stop talking...it's still too early for this shit.' And he was right, it was still _too_ early. But before Ichigo could find it in himself to send back a biting retort to his brother's nonchalant reply when he threw a pale forearm tiredly over his eyes, the orangette was already drifting off into a peaceful rest that with filled with only sweet oblivion. Where Ichigo was sure to spend the next few hours catching up on the rest he had missed out on when he had had _that_ dream again. It wasn't a dream per say, but the memory of when both he and Shiro had awakened their Zanpactō's _true_ power in order to save their mother. It had been a close call that night, so close that it was still traumatizing for Ichigo to live through even in his dreams. If their father had not shown up in a flurry of his royal robes seconds later...they could very well have lost their own mother to their still uncontrolled power. And she was the only other person that could anchor them to reality outside of the little world that only Shiro and Ichigo shared.

When next golden eyes bathed in a sea of black blinked open, it was to someone having opened the dark velvet curtains to let the moon's rising presence in the shimmering star covered sky to spill into the room. Ichigo stifled a yawn, blinking rapidly too look for the trespasser that would dare to open the curtains (he wouldn't put it past their father to do something like this) but all his thoughts were thrown out of the window when he was startled by warm lips pressing against his forehead and fingers brushing his messy, sleep mussed locks away from his eyes gently. Warm brown locks, that could only belong to one person, fell over him protectively as soft, loving eyes smiled down at Ichigo before his Okaa-sama pulled away when Ichigo fully ascended into consciousness.

'Up you get, Ichigo. It's time for breakfast, so get dressed quickly. Your father wishes to speak to the both of you before your training today.' Ichigo grumbled irritably as he rose to a seated position, freezing instantly, however, with a touch of fear when Shiro was no longer asleep next to him. He drew in a sharp breath as his fingers encountered empty air next to him and his sharp golden eyes frantically searched for his beloved...his own reiatsu spilling into the room as he felt for the connection that tied them together. Where Ichigo could finally relax when he heard the running of the shower in the distance and his mother's amused laughter ringing out through the room like silver bells.

'He's just in the shower Ichigo, no need to get so panicked. You should probably join him too. It'll save you time.' The youngest of the twin's was half across the room seconds later in a daze, ready to willingly obey his mother's orders when he was instantly frozen in his steps the moment her words began to really sink in through the fog that had settled across his tired mind. Ichigo looked over his shoulder in sheer horror at her proposition, eyes growing wide with a delicious shiver at the thoughts it provoked within him. His mother however, was having the time of her life as she desperately tried to stifle her giggling response behind long, elegant fingertips as Ichigo's cheeks flushed a beautiful cherry red and wide, frightened eyes gazed at her incredulously before he snarled in return.

'That's _not_ funny, Okaa-sama! D-do you have _any_ idea what he'll do to me?' He asked horrified. 'I—.' Ichigo drifted off mid-sentence when his golden eyes gained a glazed and distant look when Shiro reached out across their connection.

_I __**heard**__ that, King. Now shut up and come here. I'm done already, damn it!_ The orange haired vampire hissed in annoyance as he stomped over to the closed bathroom door at the far end of the room in a flurry of dark blue silk and flying orange locks. He could feel his irritation built even further when his mother could not even hold back her laughter anymore she allowed her mirth to stain the atmosphere with a resounding enjoyment that only made Ichigo flush a darker red when he flung open the bathroom door with probably a bit too much force.

'Fine! But if you try anything I'll kill you! And...AAAGH! OH GOD! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON SHIIIROOO!' Ichigo's shriek of mortification could be heard ringing out through the entirety of the family wing as an amused mother sneaked out of her sons' room with a little shake of her head after closing the doors. There was the little bit of his father's personality that peaked through in her youngest. Ichigo was just way too much fun to rile up...his reactions were just too adorable to ignore. So Masaki chuckled all the way down to the private family room to join her husband, who was probably climbing the walls in his frustration of not getting to wake his sons up with his usual antics that morning.

**...**

By the time the two freshly dressed twins made it to the private family room, one perhaps a bit more flushed with his brother's teasing than the other, the air was already warmly saturated with the sweet aroma that drifted from freshly brewed sweet tea and a warm traditional Japanese breakfast that was spread deliciously across the dining table. By the somewhat cold triumphant smile that graced their mother's usually warm features, it was assured that she had been the one who had made it by bullying the staff for the rights to her kitchen again. It was rare for her to come out triumphant though, especially so early in the evening when the staff would have been working for a while already, but it was nice to see her smile like that.

'So you've finally decided to join us from your own little world, my beautiful sons.' Isshin remarked, remarkably calm considering his usual teasing manner. His face thoughtful as he sipped at his cooling green tea, that left dark brown eyes half open to appraise both Shiro and Ichigo that were dressed identically in their traditional informal attire. Their black Shihakushō (2*) was marked only in similarity by the twin black hakama that fell over their legs in pleated folds and clung to their hips by white silk sashes that were tied in a messy bow. There was a remarkable difference though, the two cloak-like kosode (that shifted and changed depending on whether their Zanpactō was materialized or not) was represented as black and red on Ichigo and white and black on Shiro as they settled themselves in their seats.

Ichigo was trying to avoid his father's more serious gaze because it told him that the Pureblood King was in one of his rarer moods. The more observant one, where the conversations were a lot more heavy and there was just this inkling within that told the orangette they had been heard that morning when things had gotten a bit out of hand. The younger twin really didn't need his father to _know_ what went on between him and Shiro. It was best that he sat this one out though, as he tried his best to keep his thoughts occupied with the delicious breakfast spread in front of him instead. Ichigo's head was bowed so that hopefully Isshin did not noticed the spread of a subtle blush that was now incessantly clinging to his cheeks.

'Relax, Ichigo. It can't be that bad. Father's scoldings are usually weak, it's Okaa-sama's you have to look out for.' Shiro said reassuringly after a while when he had noticed his twin's distress tugging at his heart. Black nailed fingers reached up to ruffle through bright orange locks that fell into distressed golden eyes as Ichigo fought an internal battle of shame and fear of discovery within himself that not even Shiro seemed to be able to help him with. It was only after several moments of quiet though, as three pairs of eyes curiously trained upon the youngest of their family, and it was acknowledged that things were once again fine when those golden eyes glared defiantly at their old man through a sprawl of messy orange locks, that two chuckles could be heard.

It was strange, for all their intuitiveness when it came to their sons, not one of their parents were aware that Shiro was the one that was subtly pouring reassuring reiatsu through their linked hands beneath the table in order to keep Ichigo calm and bring him back to himself.

'AH! NOOOO! ICHIGO! YOU THOUGHT DADDY WAS ANGRY?!' The older man yelled suddenly, tugging at his black hair in mock frustration as his eyes shimmered with their usual good humour in a subtle way to tell his sons that they were not in trouble and it wasn't the reason why he had requested that they enjoy breakfast together as a family (which seemed to be happening less and less these days with the growing threats from both outside and inside the Pureblood City). After reaching across the table for a quick pet to messy orange locks and long white locks...much to Shiro's irritation...Isshin settled back into his seat as a defeated sigh drifted past his lips.

'It's just that I've noticed my sons have been growing upwithout my knowing.' Isshin noted soberly. 'How long have you been able to call upon Zangetsu-san's power without him actually being materialized by your side, Shiro?' The question was decidedly odd, odd enough for Shiro to glance upwards from his bowl of rice with a scowl marring his features as he narrowed his eyes at the one that had dared to interrupt his meal.

'For a while now, Oyaji. You should _know_ this though. You are the one that's been training with us since we were children. You should pay attention to Ichi though...he can do it much better than me. But that's just because Tensa Zangetsu likes him more than me.' He added in a huff as a bitter after thought. His thoughts however was interrupted by his father's excited laughter as Ichigo instinctively crept closer to his brother when their father's insanity threatened to reach new levels when he rubbed his hands together and cackled insanely as if they had just unlocked his inner villain.

'Really?! That's just wonderful! Now I can_ finally_ start teaching you the _Saigo Getsuga_...although Zangetsu-san might not like teaching the Mugetsu technique. If you can master it, I will consider instating you as—.' Isshin suddenly went deathly quiet as a spike of power erupted throughout the entirety of the castle. Masaki, frown dotting her features, turned her head to the side as if she were listening to something that was very far away. But the more she listened the greater her concern became as her usual warm features seemed to turn to stone with sheer but calm determination.

'Anata.' She cautioned, her word a single warning that meant a thousand things as her reiatsu suddenly flared throughout the room as her power threw up a barrier around the four of them before she glanced meaningfully in her lover's direction. Their silent conversation and the sudden tension flooding the atmosphere had both Ichigo and Shiro freezing in their seats. Without even waiting for a command they stood together with their hands reaching for their sheathed Zanpactō a mere instant before a large explosion rocked the entirety of the Palace of Light.

Ichigo shivered at the rush of power it chased through the air, a cry of surprise leaving his lips as the orangette was suddenly hauled behind Shiro's slightly taller frame and the entire castle began to rock and shake beneath their feet. It was disconcerting however, when Ichigo observed his father calmly blow out a sigh and a flicker in the air beside his right hand materialized a large daitō that was more bulky and more inelegantly coloured than the twin's as he used his waraji clad feet to push his chair back and stand nonchalantly in a stretch.

Engetsu, the twin's noted, was already glimmering light blue with Isshin's deadly reiatsu that was flooding into the castle. It was rare to see the older Zanpactō in their father's hand, but when _he_ was brought out...there was no doubt that whatever was happening was not good.

'Already?' He asked the thin air, gazing at the shaking ceiling that was throwing off pieces of debris at the occupants below as another rumble rushed through the castle's foundations. He looked deeply disappointed as he headed for the door and ducked beneath their mother's strong shield. 'You know what to do, Masaki.' He said over his shoulder. 'Get them out as quickly as you can. We still don't know the Vandenreich's objective but it seems that they made good on their five day threat. Gin should already have gotten the escape routes cleared, Renji'll be waiting by the river.' Ichigo was getting confused. There was definitely the harsh ringing of the early warning systems and it was probably pretty obvious to assume that they were under attack, but why hadn't they been given any orders...any places to protect? In fact their father seemed to be heading out to battle all by himself and why was their mother ushering them away from doors where their father stood.

Who would dare trespass in this city? Sure they had many enemies, Vampires always did... but never had there ever been anyone who was actually stupid enough to tread on Seireitei grounds accept for the odd insane hunter or the ones who did so by mistake. But...Ichigo jerked from his thoughts when Shiro's hand descended upon his shoulder and began to steer him after the path their mother was taking. He seemed to understand something, something that Ichigo was clearly missing! He—.

'Otou-sama?! What's going on?!' Ichigo yelled frantically just as their dark haired father pulled open the closed doors and caused the entirety of their pleasant family room to be flooded with the scent of blood, smoke and something else...something that brought fear to Ichigo's blood as he _half_ recognized it. A fire was brewing somewhere as chaos raged throughout not only the castle...Ichigo could hear the screams echoing in from the city below as well. Just what the _hell_ was going on!

'Ichigo, I don't have much time to explain. Just follow your mother, she's taking you to Gin. From there Renji's going to take you into Rukongai to Urahara Kisuke. He will hide you in the Human World and don't you _dare_ worry about us, son. We are strong, Ichigo, we won't die untill me and your mother can come to find you again. For now, please, look after each other. We cannot afford to lose you and Shiro...the entire Vampire race...the children of darkness...are banking upon your survival from this.'_ What_? Ichigo was screaming in his mind...he couldn't believe this! They were running away, but why?

'Take care, my beautiful sons. We will find you again when all this is over.'

'Shiro! Look after Ichigo, protect him well and Ichigo, keep that damn insane brother of yours out of trouble. The human world is a lot more difficult to navigate than our Seireitei.' Before either of them could protest any further though, Ichigo clearly just on the edge of screaming his frustration that he could not protect the palace too, were left all alone when the Pureblood King flitted out of existence and Masaki had grabbed a hold of their shoulders to drag them towards the back of the room and into the darker, less used, servants passages. Her grip was headily strong as she opened a secret passage hidden within the wall to their right and invoked a spell with a smear of her blood and the dance of her kido lights.

'Shiro?' Ichigo asked frightfully, he didn't like this. Didn't like leaving his father behind but when his brother's fingers twined within his and pulled him close to a familiar chest so that he protected Ichigo's back, the orange haired vampire could feel that fear for his parents and their lives dimming just a little bit. He was assured even further that things would be alright when Tensa Zangetsu thrummed within his hand in such a way that helped settle his heart too. Ichigo's new resolve was shaken however, the instant that he felt his father's enormous reiatsu join the fray deeper within the castle grounds and his mother's own power flaring in response to his as she came to a halt next to them. Ichigo was in a complete daze as the world shifted and changed around him with screams, the scent of blood and flickering images of horror from all over the city, their home, exploding in front of his eyes.

Somewhere along the way, Masaki had turned back with only a few words of parting.

_'Keep strong, survive and believe in us. Remember that we will always love you no matter what._' And then she was gone too...replaced by a silver haired vampire-fox spirit that had wrapped both Ichigo and Shiro in black cloaks that were meant to hide their overwhelmingly powerful reiatsu, no matter how unwilling they had been. Their objections were quickly silenced when the Captain of the Third Division and the Head of Palace Security calmly pointed out that their power was already calling trouble towards them. Ichigo was shivering, struggling deeply with his sense of honour, of _duty_ when a squeeze to his hand and Shiro's white Zangetsu pressing in between their twined palms drew him back to himself as they passed ever deeper and deeper into an unknown hell that was only becoming more and more dangerous the more they travelled into the city's underground.

'S-Shiro...w-what are we going to...Shiro...'

'I know.' His twin said softly, pulling him close as they passed through another confusing turn in the darkness. 'I'm right here Ichigo, I'm not going anywhere King.' Shiro's golden eyes were flickering with set determination that reflected back to Ichigo in the soft lantern that their guide was carrying. The silver haired man, that was usually more insane than their father, had gone suspiciously quiet as he clutched his own Zanpactō tightly in his right hand too. The danger it seemed was only increasing the more that the seconds passed.

'They'll survive, they have to. We'll help from the other side, Ichigo. We'll help them by staying alive and then...we'll come back and destroy whoever it was that decided that deicide was a good idea in this night of darkness. So hush now, remember...Urahara will help us. We just have to get stronger.'

'Okay.'

* * *

1* - Onigoto – Tag.

2* - Shihakusho – Mourning clothes, the Shinigami's standard uniform.

Okay! That's all the notes done, I think I've covered anything. Now all that's left is my thank you to you for taking time to read it and I hope you enjoyed it. This is a plot heavy fic too but you can expect quite a few nice erotic chapters to keep things lively and enjoyable. For now I hope you especially enjoyed the introductory chapter and Shiro and Ichigo's interactions.

I'm out, about to pass out, so excuse me whilst I search for some caffeine to wake me. See you in a fortnight hopefully, if I don't die before then from overwork.

Ja Na

Chocolate Carnival


	2. Chapter 2: Your Brother

Yay! It's finally done and this time I fleshed out the information on their world a bit! I would also like to thank everyone who left me a review for this story, I look forward to hearing back from you guys a lot more...I feel so happy when my work is appreciated.

Just a warning for this chapter, there will be spoilers for the more current chapters of Bleach, for those who have not read it, please just keep that in mind. This is also an AU story as you'll see, I'm twisting the facts in Bleach to fit in with this plot so if that angers you, please remember that I am not forcing you to keep reading this.

Hmmm...I think that's about all I can think of, I kept this chapter pretty neutral and calm as I needed to explain the plot a bit better but expect some more funny moments in the future with the two twins adjusting in the human world.

That's it for now, thank so much for everyone who's reading this. I look forwards from hearing back from you and hope that you will enjoy this chapter. I did work hard on it as I really hate writing battle scenes.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Your Brother**

'The two of ya need te stay close te me. When we enter the City outskirts, we may encounter enemies as we 'ave no idea how far their reach has gotten in the las' two hours.' A serious tone of voice noted cautiously as the silver haired vampire and Captain of the Sanbantai (1*) division, who had been Ichigo and Shiro's guide through the escape tunnels since the beginning, stepped towards the fast approaching exit that shimmered dully in the muffled rays of the moon peaking through the sudden press of rolling clouds. Causing the orange haired vampire a few feet behind him, to step back instinctively in order to get closer to his brother's form walking only half a step behind him.

Blinking a few times to get used to the change in light within the darkness, Ichigo tightened his grip on his brother's white sleeve that was wound around his waist protectively. His breathing was slightly panicked but the moment that Shiro had stepped behind him when they had entered the darker parts of the tunnels to pull Ichigo's back against his chest and lead him forward one step at a time, Ichigo found that his brother's presence had grown stronger within his mind as he kept the both of them calm in the newly terrifying situation. Ichigo knew this was true because he should have descended into a complete and hysterical state by now, especially since the reverberating reiatsu of their family and friends had been cut off the second they had passed underneath the palace's walls of protection and into Seireitei itself.

'What're ya thinking about, King?' Shiro asked quietly, a warm chin resting atop of orange locks gently in order to envelope his brother in his scent and reiatsu headily. Where their spiritual pressure could only be shared when they were touching directly, because of the black cloaks that completely sealed off their powers from the rest of the world's sensors. The younger twin exhaled shakily at the warm breaths puffing against his ear, turning his sorrowfully pleading golden eyes around to connect with his brother's helplessly. There was a vast array of distress displayed within the fathomless depths resting upon a sea of black sclera. Begging Shiro to take him back to the city but his beloved twin could only sigh sadly as he pressed a soft comforting kiss to his brother's messy orange locks at the top of his head.

'We can't, Ichigo.' Shiro said sadly, his own voice stained with a similar amount of regret that was shimmering within his twin's eyes. 'We'll have to have faith in them for now. What help would we be, King, when the both of us die out there without even having gotten strong enough to truly protect them?' Hating the way that Ichigo's shoulders slumped in defeat at his words, the white haired Shiro reached down to twine black nailed fingers with his own as he stepped next to Ichigo instead. Offering a pillar of support that his brother could lean against and making sure that their shoulders were touching near constantly; he fought off not only his own sense of dread but Ichigo's that was pressing into his heart from the link their soul shared, as well.

'We have to be strong, Ichi.'

'I-I know, Shi. I-it's just that I feel so useless. There must be something that we can do to help...to—.' Ichigo was silenced softly by the press of a forefinger resting against his lips.

'Shush. There _is_ something we can do, Ichigo. We have to wait, like Otou-sama said. To bide our time. Urahara-san will help, he is at least trustworthy enough in that aspect.' Ichigo nodded sadly in understanding. With a defeated sigh rushing past bloodied lips where Ichigo's fangs had dug into the flesh unknowingly, the younger vampire leaned his forehead against his brother's taller shoulder exhaustedly the moment that Gin came to a halt in front of them. Forcing the both of them to slow their own pace as well.

As the keeper of the escape routes and the Head of Palace Security, the silver haired vampire was the only one that knew the incantation to the high level kido spell that could dispel the invisible barrier lain over the exit before them. So Ichigo briefly closed his eyes as he sought out that deep pit of self control within himself, using his brother's gentle presence beside him as a catalyst to draw on his strength of will and reset his resolve to not worry so much. Their parents were strong, his father was the strongest of all vampires within Seireitei...their mother the most talented at healing and kido...so there really shouldn't be anything to worry about. But Ichigo just couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding...almost like they were missing something valuable within this attack...

How long has it been now since they had entered this dark pit of despair?

The resounding echoes of their father's powerful reiatsu could still be felt reverberating throughout the whole of Seireitei the moment the barrier to the outside world fell under Gin's touch; but Ichigo was already numb to it. Having lost all sense of his emotion to the shock that had started to set in the moment that a large dip in that power had chased across the twins' skin just before they had exited the palace walls from the tunnels beneath. Even their mother's connection to them had started to wane a little while ago... So Ichigo was finding it terribly hard to keep control over his ragging thoughts of dread but what could he do? If he panicked now, not only would he drag Shiro into a frenzied state in order to comfort him but he could possibly endanger their lives as well.

He had to believe, _had_ to believe that everyone would survive and they would once again be reunited in the human world just like their father had promised. It felt like they had been walking sluggishly through complete darkness for what felt like days now, breathing softly in relief when Gin waved them towards the reopened exit in quiet concern. Ichigo was shivering softly against his brother's form, trying to pull as much of Shiro's heat back into himself as the two of them stayed still together for a long while. What could they do but wait?

Ichigo and Shiro's footsteps remained completely silent against the soft grass the moment they stepped outside into the familiar clearing that overlooked the Seireitei river. Falling in step behind the silver haired Gin as the moonlight, muffled by a rushing cloud crossing its lightened surface, illuminated the night in a muffled but still discernable light. The near pitch blackness was no problem though, their golden eyes were sensitive to the tiniest amount of light and seeing in the dark was like second nature to them. But even so, Ichigo stretched out his other senses just as his brother was doing. Despite them being so far away from the ringing chaos in the city, enemies could still be converging around this isolated area as their guide had warned them before.

His assumption in that respect, hadn't been wrong.

Ichigo's black nailed fingers were the first to tighten around Tensa Zangetsu's hilt in his right hand and his brother's in his left, the instant that a brush of reiatsu that was stained with a foul, darkness pressed against his skin. A reiatsu similar to the ones that Ichigo had felt briefly within the castle just before they had been ushered away by their mother. Golden eyes snapped open to look towards his brother for confirmation; conveying a simultaneous message of alertness to Shiro as his twin stepped forward to pull the hood of Ichigo's cloak over his head of distinctively coloured hair.

'Keep hidden, Ichigo.' Shiro said sternly, doing the same for himself as they observed their travelling companion giving them an appraising look before he took to the sky to await the arrival of their adversary. 'We both have distinctive features and should we be recognised, it could become a problem.' As it were now, the only reiatsu their opponent should be able to sense and feel was Ichimaru Gin's and it was now _their_ job to keep hidden and protect each other. Even when both Ichigo and Shiro were just itching to join the battle as well, wanting nothing more than to be useful if only for a little while.

'If this opponent takes me longer than five minutes te kill, ye are te follow the road through the forest, Shiro-chan~.' Gin sing-songed with a widening grin towards the older of the two twins. 'Abarai Renji of the Rokubantai division will be waiting at the old cottage to take ye into Rukongai. Make sure ye get there in one piece, ne?' And with that said, the very atmosphere became charged with rising tension. Ichigo, tucked safely against Shiro's side as they kept their eyes on the Sanbantai division Captain, they settled back to observe the fight unfold. The two of them were surprised, however, at the speed which their enemy had moved towards them as a figure dressed in horridly white robes came to a halt in front of Gin with a sword raised already.

'I was sent out to see if there was anything of interest in this area and look what I found...a Captain abandoning his post? Now that's a first or perhaps you were sent here for another purpose. Ah...ah~ But it doesn't matter, for you shall be stopped here by me. Kirge Opie, in the name of his Majesty.' His Majesty? Who the hell was that? Ichigo thought to himself as he listened to the man's boasting tones carefully. He was just about to open his mouth to ask Shiro if he knew the answer when a hand clamped over his mouth promptly to keep him silenced the instant that swords clashed from above. A streak of blue light suddenly erupting across the dark night sky as the opponent retaliated with a different kind of power Ichigo and Shiro had to see before.

'I'll not hold back against a Captain!'

_Che, arrogant bastard. _Shiro swore in Ichigo's mind. _Best keep quiet, Ichigo. We don't know the extent of their strength or how far their senses can reach._ Ichigo nodded; pulling his brother's fingers away from his mouth as two sets of golden eyes followed the rapidly heating battle above them. So fast...so fierce...Ichigo shuddered, this was the first time he had ever seen someone push a captain back so easily and released such a weird but shockingly powerful technique as he was pressed into a corner. But just what was that? That strange and disgusting appearance...

The most shocking for Ichigo though, was the scent of vampire blood suddenly hitting his nose boldly as the odd bow like weapon, that was connected to the man's sword, was used to land several attacks on Gin's form without really trying to defeat him. And he took hits from Shinsō's extending blade as well but without the Zanpactō of the third division captain even making a scratch against his skin. Ichigo could see that at this rate, Gin would have to activate Bankai to defeat his opponent. But in doing so, his rising reiatsu would give away their location and light up the sky like a beacon for others to—.

Golden eyes widened suddenly in surprise, feeling Shiro stiffen against him when one of the arrows slipped past Gin's defence and headed straight in their direction. Shiro easily leapt backwards and glided through the air out of its path, pulling Ichigo with him hastily too. But his distance was misjudged by a few millimetres as a sharp intake of breath was tugged into Ichigo's lungs. The only indication that the glowing blue arrow streaking through the air had reached its unexpected mark, was Ichigo gasping in pain as it scraped deeply against the flesh of his upper arm.

The scent of his blood staining the air headily and soaking rapidly into his robes and torn cloak had Shiro snarling in rage next to his twin. It was near instantaneous that Ichigo could feel his brother's anger racing through his mind heatedly, igniting within the elder Shiba twin and age old frenzied battle lust that someone hurting Ichigo usually induced within seconds. Numb fingers was desperately grabbing at his brother's sleeve to keep him in place despite the pain shooting up his arm, but it was getting difficult to keep Shiro grounded when his brother wanted nothing more than to rip his newly found enemy apart. And with Ichigo not being able to use his voice to calm him further, in fear of their discovery, things were _not_ looking good.

_Calm down, Shi. I'm fine._ He tried to assure through their connection, attempting to sooth his brother's raging anger with a chaste kiss to his lips softly but it was only getting worse by the second. Shiro was practically vibrating with his fury, his golden eyes gaining a hazed tint of red as he stared calculatingly at the two men fighting above them. It was strange though, the arrow itself had definitely scraped against Ichigo's skin quite deeply and his blood's scent was saturating the air headily, but the wound itself was already closing with Ichigo's rapid regeneration. The only _odd_ thing that it left behind was a numbness that was spreading from the closing wound down Ichigo's arm alarmingly.

The orange haired twin cursed internally at his useless concerns, he had bigger problems now. Shiro was getting restless at the scent of his blood and before Ichigo could wind his arms around his twin's waist to stop him...the moonlight was already glinting ominously off of Tensa Zangetsu's white blade as Shiro moved behind the dark haired man suspended in the sky within the blink of an eye. Not even holding back as Zangetsu's sharpened blade swung down and sunk into the hardened flesh of the enemy's back like a knife sliding through butter. Where Gin's released Zanpactō could not even have cut the man before, Shiro's blade had injured him near fatally in one single blow.

Ichigo wrinkled his nose against the scent of that degusting blood...it smelled so foul...truly of the dead...as he cringed at the inelegantly violent sight.

'S-shit! Shiro! Stop it!' Ichigo yelled harshly, gripping his wounded shoulder as he too leapt towards his brother's form standing in the air. Bringing an arm up to shield his face against the rush of wind as the now ragging reiatsu condensed into a thick mass of black and red to form the beginnings of a Getsuga Tenshō around the tip of Shiro's blade. The orangette cursed...it didn't matter what he said, if he could not get close enough to push calming reiatsu into his brother's veins, this frenzy of violence wouldn't stop until the man had stopped breathing all together. And they really couldn't afford to be pushed into releasing such powerful techniques, it would give away their location in an instant.

There was a horrifying shriek of surprise and confusion as the violently powerful attack of Getsuga Tenshō's crescent moon landed, severing those strange white wings and nearly cleaving the enemy in half as he was sent hurtling towards the ground against the rising force. Shiro followed him, not willing to give any mercy as both Ichigo and Gin landed on the soft grass beside him several moment later. The tip of a sheer white Zanpactō rested against a now vulnerable neck. Shiro's narrowed golden eyes boring into his victim's with a cold rage so deep that it froze through the very air itself. Leaving even Ichigo shuddering against its intensity.

'W-what are you? W-who are you..' The enemy breathed in fear and desperate pain. 'W-what sort of creature could cut through my defence without a Bankai activated...' Shiro smirked deviously as a black nailed hand balanced Tensa Zangetsu's white blade across his shoulder by the end of the broken chain. His waraji clad foot pressing into a bleeding chest, the sudden rising wind rustling and tugging at the black cloak that hid his features in shadow and snow white hair as he leaned over the defeated man menacingly.

'Tensa Zangetsu, trash,_ is_ in Bankai release. He's always been released, that's how he was born within our soul. A phenomenon not even our father could manage. However, all I am telling you now is useless because you forfeited your life the moment one of your attacks drew my beloved's blood.' Ichigo turned his eyes away from the scene as the white blade was raised again. He didn't like it when Shiro got into a mood like this. Granted Ichigo also went into a frenzy of rage when Shiro was the one injured, but it was cruel to cut down the enemy so harshly for such a small trespass. Ichigo's wound wasn't even bleeding anymore, but when the remnants of that foul smelling blood of a hunter was flicked away from an elegant white blade before the sword was re-sheathed...the orangette didn't protest when Gin pointed them in the direction of their next path to take.

'I-it seems that those a-arrows carry a numbing sedative.' He said almost absently as he clutched at the rapidly healing wound carved deeply into his stomach, dazed ice blue eyes staring up at them in clear concern. 'I cannot take ya further, little Denkas (2*). Find Renji and quickly, i-it's gettin' quite dangerous out here.'

**...**

'Oi! Shiro! Put me down, damn it! I can move by myself!' Ichigo cursed irritably, spitting angered insults at his brother through slightly ragged breaths that brushed tenderly against the pale skin of his twin's neck. Causing Ichigo to bury his face within the folds of a black cloak several moments later in sheer embarrassment at their current position when he received no acknowledgement at all. Fuck! With him being clutched so protectively against Shiro's chest as he was carried deeper into the isolated forest through dizzying steps of shunpo because he had been 'injured', Ichigo could not help but feel slighted even when the wound had long since healed and despite the slight dizzy numbness it had left behind within him...he was sure that he was okay to run, damn it!

But apparently Gin's parting words had prompted his brother's more protective side to come to the surface as all his protests had been vetoed and he was now carried like a damn princess despite his vehement protests that he was absolutely fine. Ichigo was getting angry,_ very_ angry but Shiro seemed un-phased by it. Merely pressing him closer against a warm cloak as he upped their speed a notch. There was no doubt that the feeling of pulsing reiatsu coming from ahead was Abarai Renji's; they had met him on the palace grounds for spars often enough, but there was also the unmistakable feeling of the enemy's strangely mixed reiatsu drawing closer to the clearing they had just left behind several minutes ago.

'Shiro.' Ichigo said softly, _warningly_, as his fingers tightened against Tensa Zangetsu's hilt in one hand and his brother's upper arm in the other. 'I don't like this.'

'I know.' Shiro sighed. 'But we're almost there, probably only an hour until we reach the Rukon districts.' With a curious nose resting against bright, messy orange locks that had once again been revealed after the hooded part of Ichigo's cloak had fallen away, left the younger twin sighing in soft defeat. There was no way he could truly object now that Shiro was like this. But he was left to promptly frown in confusion when the previous numbness that had spread down his arm from the arrow inflicted wound, turned to painful tingles that began to rapidly spread from the tips of his fingertips to streak quite painfully against his rising heartbeat. With the realization of what was to come, Ichigo quickly slammed the connection between him and his brother shut before a soft groan of pain could fully escape his parted lips.

Ichigo didn't want to alarm Shiro more than he already had, but he was beginning to suspect that those arrows were_ not_ the normal weapons they had suspected them to be. Luckily, Shiro had been concentrating so hard on getting them away from the growing dangers from all sides, to notice the sudden absence of Ichigo's presence within him as they remained shielded from the outside world by flowing cloths of black and his sheer determination to not leave an ounce of their presence behind.

'S-shit!' Ichigo swore uncharacteristically, his golden eyes gaining a dazed shimmer as he tipped his head forward to shield his eyes behind an array of messy orange locks instead. Only briefly turning his eyes towards the clouded sky as the smattering of stars here and there and the half moon's powerful rays were beginning to dim rapidly within his darkening vision. This was getting perilous and Ichigo didn't know how to stop it. He unconsciously raised his reiatsu beneath his skin and allowed it flow through his veins as a block to the sensations when his breathing became quite ragged at the wavering concentration it took to keep it up. But it wasn't easy, not with a rapid rising fire of heat streaking so painfully hot within his blood and flesh simultaneously.

'Ichigo?' Shiro asked in concern the moment that he felt a subtle change within his twin; slightly frightened at the feeling of Ichigo's powerful reiatsu humming beneath pale skin erratically as he caught a glimpse glazed golden eyes peaking up at him through a sprawl of messy orange locks. The bright strand, having previously hidden those eyes from the world, now fell away as Ichigo turned his head to the side to display a fevered flush staining not only pale cheeks but those deadly white fangs that were lengthened to rest across bloodied parted lips as his sweet Ichi struggled to draw in a proper breath.

It was with quiet but noticeable alarm that Shiro came to a sudden halt several meters before the doors of a small cottage. Renji's presence was already approaching them from the inside, probably having heard the snap of a twig beneath Shiro's careless foot. But the older twin could barely think, his body was suddenly feeling rejected when he reached out to Ichigo but the block that had been placed upon their soul deep connection made itself known rather harshly against his mind.

'Oi! Ichigo?! Are you okay?' He asked frantically. 'If there's something wrong, don't lock me out damn it!' There were several moments of deathly silence before Ichigo gazed up at his brother imploringly through a bit of regained sanity.

'S-sorry...Shi...but I think t-that arrow was tainted with something m-more than a sedative...' Ichigo managed to get out between his panting breaths, eyes clenching shut against the sudden onslaught of pain streaking through his blood as his limbs trembled with the effort in keeping himself still and not arching into the pain as his instincts seemed to be telling him to do. He could see his brother's rising concern and felt his heart clench painfully in his chest at the sight. He didn't want to worry Shiro like this but they couldn't afford to waste anymore time. Even he was headily aware that midnight had already passed and the sun was getting close to rising...this pain within him...he could keep it back until then but they had to reach Urahara Kisuke before then.

'W-we have to hurry...' He forced between clenching teeth, a small cry leaving his lips when he could no longer keep it back.

'Ichigo, damn it! Stop it! Please...we can share the pain...please...you're hurting...' Ichigo gave a bitter chuckle and shook his head softly in the negative; golden eyes bathed in a swirling sea of black fluttered shut as he exhaustedly laid his head back against his brother's warm neck and desperately allowed the welcoming scent to curl around his weakened form. He couldn't allow that to happed. The distraction would be too much for Shiro even if his pain would be halved but neither of them knew just how far these affects went and going by the fangs pressing against his bottom lip and his eyes slowly swirling to a bloodied red...one twin falling into such an uncontrolled state was enough.

'No.' Ichigo said firmly, having caught his breath for a scarce moment before a small moan escaped his lips and he arched his head back in a sudden need to have his brother's fangs descending deeply into his flesh. 'J-just get us to Urahara...quickly, Shiro.' _Before I lose control_, was what was left unsaid but it didn't need to be noted...the both of them could feel the simultaneous rustling restlessness within their veins that did not spell anything good should a violent lower ranking vampire get in their way, or worse yet...a human. Especially now with the rushing reiatsu streaking beneath Ichigo's skin as it became near uncontrollable were it not for Shiro's warm presence surrounded him so wholly. Inside the orangette was begging for something more substantial than just the soft touch of their bodies being so close together now.

Shiro tsked irritably, of all the nights for things to go wrong, tonight it seemed that their luck was only getting worse. The white haired twin did not even stop to acknowledge their friend as Renji joined them several moments later as a guide to lead them deeper into the forest. He merely kept his feet firmly planted on the ground in running steps as he tried not to think of the dizzying sensations streaking across his skin that slipped past Ichigo's impressive mental block on their eternal connection. They didn't have time to idle in talk but when Renji concernedly asked him what was wrong with Ichigo, Shiro explained the situation with as much detail as his now scattering mind could allow. He had always been weak against Ichigo getting injured and with such a small wound becoming potentially deadly, Shiro was losing his strong grip on reality as well.

He even allowed the annoying redhead to take the lead as they were ushered into the rarely travelled depths that separated Seireitei from Rukongai. Where already so few pureblood vampires tread because of the tainted ones living in the forest itself or worse yet, the revenge seeking exiles...

'Do you have any idea what it could be?' Renji asked after several long minutes as they began entering the outskirts of the impoverished city. Near an hour had already passed since Renji had first heard the snap of the twig and walked in on the sight of Shiro's ragging concern and Ichigo's near unresponsive state. Glancing out of the corner of his eye now, the two racing twins were showing their remarkable aptitude for speed as they flitted through shunpo faster than any Shinigami Renji knew had ever been capable of before. And Shiro was even carrying the weight of his brother and his daitō at the same time as well. The younger of the two twins hadn't opened his eyes to acknowledge Renji's presence once but he could feel the rumbling power just beneath the surface of reality at it leaked even through the impressive reiatsu seals and kido spells cast on those black cloaks as his condition seemed to worsen.

'I don't know.' Shiro said irritably in response, golden eyes narrowed in a glare as concern chased sheer ice through his veins. 'We've never encountered people like them before. Never encountered such strange techniques. Urahara Kisuke is our only help, he probably knows what's going on. Ichigo seems to have forced himself to fall asleep to keep his pain at bay, but how long that will last...I cannot tell.'_ I just don't want him to feel pain anymore_...he added for himself. This was something he was not quite mature enough to deal with on his own and with his other half, the more rational part of his soul out of commission, Shiro's nerves were practically frayed beyond repair.

'Shit...to think that such a small thing—.'

'Whoever these people are...I can sense a serious threat against us if they continue to stay alive for much longer, I will slaughter every last one of them after I come back...I will...' Shiro trailed off, squeezing Ichigo closer to him as he buried his nose in sweet smelling orange lock in a bid to compose himself once more. They had gotten hurt before, kidnapped once...attacked by Arrancar and Hollows...but never before had Shiro felt so alone as he was now. There had always been a small part of their connection left open, even when Ichigo was furious at him for something and cut him off on purpose, but the moment that Shiro had felt Ichigo force himself into a deep sleep to stall the progress of whatever it was that was affecting his body, he felt that connection fall shut within him too and it frightened him...even when Ichigo was still breathing and alive in his arms...

'Oh my...arriving so soon. I can see that this night has not been kind on you.' Rapidly hazing golden eyes stared helplessly at the tall blonde haired vampire from behind wet and messy white bangs the moment that the Urahara-Shoten's door was slid open at Renji's frantic knocking and shouting voice. Sharp grey eyes gazed critically at his rain soaked, tired and worn guests from behind a green and white striped bucked hat as he quickly beckoned them inside when his eyes caught sight of the bundled form of the youngest Shiba twin curled possessively against his brother's arms.

_So it has finally come to this_? Kisuke had been expecting it ever since Isshin had told him about the possibility of it happening five days ago, dreading it even but at least they had made it to him relatively safe. The Pureblood King would be relieved to know that should he still be alive somewhere out there. But it seemed that they had not escaped completely unscathed. And going by the Shiro's increasing unresponsive form at Ichigo's condition, dealing with this was going to be a problem as he could not hope to separate the two of them now to treat them for any serious injuries should there be.

Urahara sighed softly as he lead the three vampires into the back of his shop and deeper into his home. Leaving the Vice-Captain Abarai Renji to make a report to his division and gather some warm tea as he took the two pureblood twins aside to one of the guest rooms where a futon had already been laid out. Resting a comforting hand upon Shiro's shoulder in hopes of reassuring him that the two of them were safe now and could warm up and dry in the room. Two stray yukata's and some towels had already been laid out in preparation the moment that Kisuke had heard the alarms in Seireitei begin ringing much earlier that night and a heavy drenching rain falling from the sky half an hour ago.

'He'll be fine, Shiro-chan. Ichi-kun and you cannot be killed by the Vandenreich's methods. I'm assuming he was shot with an arrow yes?' At the eldest twin's hesitant nod, Urahara motioned for him to place his brother on the bed as he turned his back to leave with a small bow. 'Then let him sleep, Denka. If he rests, he'll be fine in a few hours. I'll explain everything to you in a moment okay? But first let's get some warm tea in you and some dry clothes before that unexpected stroll in the rain makes the both of you sick.'

* * *

'I don't know what's going on, King.' Shiro said softly as he bent down to brush stray strands of messy orange away from Ichigo's cool forehead with the tips of his black nailed fingers to press a soft kiss there as he felt his heart calming at the blonde shopkeeper's reassuring words from earlier ringing in his ears again. 'But it seems that you'll be fine with just some rest. The both of us will.' The subtle feeling of Ichigo's lost heat returning to him now as Shiro gripped Ichigo's cold hand in his, left the older twin grateful to finally be dressed in warm, dry clothes again. He was still listless though, irritated with his long hair that refused to dry properly even as he struggled with a fluffy towel to wring out the worse of the wetness. At least Ichigo's shorter and messier locks seemed to have dried easier than his...it always did.

Shiro, however, refused to let his guard down even in the presence of a long time family friend as he pulled the warm blankets up to Ichigo's chin and settled their twin Tensa Zangetsus, that were still materialized, in reach of both his and Ichigo's hands should they need it or fall under attack again. The light blue cotton yukata that Urahara-san had provided for them though, were warm and soft. Scented with clean laundry detergent and sweet candies that, when Shiro was so close to his twin as he was now, seemed to mix with Ichigo's natural sweet and spicy scent headily. He sighed softly as he settled cross legged beside Ichigo on the futon, raising one knee lazily to rest his chin there and absently wrap his free arm, which was not tied at the hands to Ichigo's, around his leg despite the new position dishevelling his yukata messily.

Attempting, unsuccessfully, to relax away the ragging tension that had been building across his reiatsu and body since the start of that night, Shiro found that his body and mind may have felt exhausted but his heart remained annoyingly restless. Ever since the blonde haired shopkeeper had come to take away their wet Shihakushō to be dried, promising a warm cup of tea and snack in a few minutes, the eldest Shiba twin found himself closing his gold and black eyes tiredly as the beginnings of a headache began to pulse behind his eyes irritably. They had come _so_ far, abandoned _so_ much under the orders of their mother and father...and yet, it felt like they had accomplished _so_ little in the end.

Shiro had failed to protect his little brother like he was supposed to...as he had been asked to do and that pained him more than anything. His little Ichigo should never have to be the one that feels any form of pain, whether it be emotionally _or_ physically. Shiro would shoulder that burden all by himself if he could, but tonight he knew that Ichigo had saved _him_ from pain by locking the older twin out of their eternal bond before the both of them could feel it. He tightened his grip around Ichigo's warm fingers, tugging and pulling at the block Ichigo had placed within them until it gave a little and he could allow calming emotions and soothing reiatsu to flow into his brother's sleeping form again with a sigh of relief.

Giving a half-hearted glare at the blonde haired shopkeeper that entered the room a few polite knocks later, Shiro said a soft 'thank you' as he was passed a warm cup of tea and a freshly made Onigiri. Accepting the offer for what it was, Shiro felt himself relaxing minutely as the warmth from the cup now seeped into his skin as he gripped it tightly in a bid to bring his raging emotions back into himself. Golden eyes trained curiously on Ichigo's form, watching cautiously as the shopkeeper's grey eyes were looking at the two of them as if he was confirming something that only _his_ deranged mind could understand.

'What is it?' Shiro asked cautiously with a scowl furrowing his brow as he shifted uncomfortably.

'Can I check his health?' Urahara asked and Shiro nodded absently. Blowing away the steam rising from the cup of tea as he threw a warning glare at the older man settling beside his brother to rest a glowing green hand across Ichigo's forehead, should he trespass any further than that. 'Just don't expect me to move.' He warned, keeping a close eye on the man's progress as he sipped at the warm liquid gratefully and sighed softly at just the right mixture of bitter sweetness from the honey and lemon that had been added. It was just like the older vampire had been making it for them since they were little and they had often come to visit him here with their parents.

'Ichi-kun seems fine, if not exhausted. Some blood will do him some good. I can offer him min—.'

'Finish that sentence, Ero-Oyaji (3*) and I'll kill you right where you stand. If it's blood that he needs then he's going to get it from me, _no_ one else. It'll only make him sick if not kill the both of us outright, you damn bastard. You know very well that we cannot survive without each other's blood and it can never be diluted by another's. You just want to see what his face looks like when he reaches that ultimate state of sated bliss.' A scowl now marred pale features as Shiro wilfully glowered at the older pureblood vampire...daring him to say something else that so brazenly infringed on his bond with Ichigo. But instead, the shopkeeper held up his hands defensively as he smiled sheepishly and pulled away from Ichigo before Shiro's rage and jealousy could truly grip a hold of his unwavering instinct.

'Mah, mah~! Don't be so cold, Shiro-chan. I was only joking. But after we're done talking, you really need to give him some blood okay? It'll help settle the unrest in his body.' Shiro nodded, accepting the terms as he turned towards the man that had settled himself on the tatami furthest away from Shiro's ragging anger as the white haired twin curled his hand in Ichigo's beneath the warm blankets again. Slowly slipping at his tea as he closed his eyes expectantly. When no answers were forthcoming to his burning questions, he sighed softly and gazing curiously at the older man once again.

'Where's Renji?' Better start on a small topic before they got to the big stuff as Shiro prepared himself for what he was sure was not going to be a very pleasant conversation.

'He's making a report to Kuchiki-Taichō. I've already arranged a room for him to stay here tonight but he'll probably be gone before the next moon rises. His presence will be required in Seireitei after this, as most of the Captains will be. I don't know the extent of the damage but from what my calculations indicate, it won't be a small matter that can be written off easily. We'll also be leaving tomorrow a few hours after the moon has risen. It's too dangerous to keep the two of you here. My shop has a strong barrier surrounding it, so your presence here is hidden, but it's still too dangerous to stay here for even an entire night.' Shiro frowned at those words, setting his now half empty tea cup aside as he gazed towards Ichigo's sleeping features and passed his fingers through orange locks gently again.

'Taking us away? To where exactly?'

'Karakura Town on the outskirts of Tokyo. We're heading into the human world where I have had another shop set up just in case something like this ever happened and the two of you needed to be hidden from prying eyes.'

'So you have been expecting this? Could you explain it to me, Geta-Boushi(4*)? We have no idea what's going on and I don't know what happened to Ichigo.'

'I've been expecting an attack like this since the two of you were born, Shiro-chan.' Since the two of them were born? What the hell, that didn't even make any sense. Shiro thought to himself, fingers fisting in the warm sheets in sheer frustration now.

'Why? Please explain and quickly, my patience is running thin. Just what the _hell_ did you mean by the 'Vandenreich's' methods cannot kill us?'

'Look, Shiro,' Urahara said gently. 'This story is not mine to tell in full but seeing as your father never got around to it, the two of you need to be made aware of a few things that has been hidden from you since you have been brought into this world. So shush and let me finish please; this whole ordeal starts at a single point that had to do with your mother and father even before they met each other and fell in love. I'll keep it simple okay? These enemies that you encountered tonight, they are a special breed of humans that call themselves Quincy's. These Quincy's, as we know them, possess the ability to kill vampires and the fallen of our kindred spirits...Hollows and Arrancar. Their primary aim has always been to rid the world of our kind. Even when we wished to live peacefully beside humans, the opposites to our beings.' Shiro nodded, waving a black nailed hand impatiently as he urged the man to continue with his drawn out explanation.

'Before you were born, in a bid to protect ourselves and the human world from getting involved in our thousand year war, it fell upon the shoulders of the Gotei 13 to wipe out the very existence of Quincy nine hundred years ago. Your father, at that time, was instated as the Captain of the 10th division and even when opposed to the idea at first, was forced to act upon it all the same. The only problem was that your mother was on the side of the enemy and he had hopelessly fallen in love with her when she had selflessly saved him one day—'

'Wait, wait, wait!' Shiro interrupted suddenly, his fingers twisting in the sheets spread beneath him. 'O-our mother was human? T-that's not possible she's been alive alongside my father for eight hundred years...don't play games with me Urahara!' The blonde haired vampire tsked as he rolled his eyes at the reaction. Tapping an impatient finger on his thigh as he gazed irritably at his wilful charge.

'Listen until I'm finished, Denka.' He growled in warning. 'Your mother is a Quincy Shiro, just as she is a pureblood vampire through your father's blood when he turned her in order to save her against her own kind. Do you understand now? The Vandenreich are a shadow army, a group of survivors from that clan that has hidden themselves from us and grown in considerable size for centuries now. There are unconfirmed reports that they have reawakened their Quincy King, who has been sealed away for as long as your father and mother have been alive, buried somewhere in an unknown location deep under the depths of the ocean after a fight with the Pureblood King before your father. It's the reason why we think that he has attacked, even when their objectives are still not clear.'

'But should _that_ man know that twin vampires have been born out of a taboo union from a Quincy and a Vampire...then there is no doubt in my mind that he'll be after the two of you first and foremost. Whether it be for revenge or to turn the two of you against your own kind, I do not know. That is why it is so important to keep you two hidden. Your father has always kept your existence away from the public as much as possible...the only people that_ do_ know about you are those at the castle and the respected beings of Seireitei themselves. But bathed in such chaos now...who knows what information may leak out.' Shiro took in a startled breath as he gazed sadly at his brother's sleeping form, he'd have to explain all this to him later and he wasn't going to like it.

'That still doesn't explain why their methods won't kill us.' Urahara nodded thoughtfully as he pointed to Ichigo.

'A Quincy's arrow is near deadly to all vampires that it touches. It'll kill the mixed bloods in hours, a few days for Purebloods...all depending on their reiatsu and how strong their will is to survive. But you and Ichigo are a new type of hybrid that has never been seen before, Shiro. A Quincy once tainted by an Arrancar as your mother and a Pureblood Vampire father. It means that you have two sources of power, if not three at the most, streaking through your very veins. The reason why Isshin chose to hide you in the human world now is not only because of the Vandenreich but because of the sheer enigma that you two are. Standing alone...each one of you are stronger than your father, but putting you together...you become a being that is completely incomprehensible and uncontainable. That's why a Quincy's arrow will never be able to kill you, it can harm you...exhaust you depending on the strength of the attacker...but it _cannot_ kill you.'

'A Quincy may never kill us, as you say, but what about Otou-sama and all the others...' Shiro asked, uncharacteristically sad as he was reminded of all the kind vampires that he and Ichigo had grown up with.

'Don't worry so much, Shiro-chan. Who do you think you're talking to Denka? Was I not the founder of the Technological Research Institute and does Unohana-san not exist for the sole purpose of healing the impossible within this realm? There _is_ a way to stop a Quincy's arrow from killing a vampire, it just takes a lot of work. But you shouldn't worry so much about your father and mother. In Isshin's blood flows your mother's blood, so she protects him just as he protects Masaki in the same way by granting her power through their blood connection.' All this information, it was making Shiro's head spin in circles. Geez, this was getting so damn complicated.

'It's truly just as your father said, Shiro. They'll come back for you in the human world again when it is safe. I'll be training you as well as helping you integrate into the human world better so that you can wait for them there. There are many things that the both of you can still be taught and with my special reiatsu sealing bracelets and glamour glasses to hide those unusual eyes that you two share, we can fully transform you into a human...well as much as your vampire nature will allow.' Urahara chuckled to himself as he pushed himself to stand. Passing long fingers through still damp white hair in a quick ruffle as he headed towards the door as an indication that their long conversation was over.

'It's time to get some sleep, the sun will be up in a few minutes. I'll be waking you early tomorrow so that we can open the Senkaimon. Sweet dreams my two princes and please, do try to keep out of trouble.'

**...**

_'Ichi...King...time to wake...'_

Ichigo shivered softly, automatically searching for his brother's bond tied to him as he ascended into waking consciousness with ragging confusion. Someone had been calling out to him in his sleep for a while now, rousing him slowly and surely with warm fingers carding through his hair and brushing black nails softly against his cheek every now and then to bring him back into the world of the living. But still, Ichigo was struggling. Clenching his eyes shut under the building headache racing across his forehead, he burrowed further against the warm lap that his head was resting against. Trying to keep himself under the warm guise of blankets and a heady sleep. Leaving Ichigo to groan softly however, as he finally forced his own eyes to blink open the moment that Shiro called out to him again gently.

'It's time to get up, King.' Shiro whispered, smiling in relief when Ichigo gazed dazedly up at his brother's concerned features. Those pale lips were drawn down in a frown, pale eyebrows still furrowed in worry but at least Shiro seemed more at ease with the situation than he had been the night before, when Ichigo had been fighting against the pain in his system and streaking across his heart in a solitary battle. The younger twin shifted on his back so that he could better observe his twin in concern as he leaned into those warm fingertips that never once left his hair or lost sight of intense golden eyes boring deeply into his soul. Ichigo's mind was still struggling to shake off the shivering sensations he had experienced the night before, trying to sort through the rapid influx of information streaking through his mind but when he opened his mouth to speak, he was abruptly silenced by his brother's forefinger pressing against his lips softly.

'Questions later, okay, King? You need to eat first, before Urahara-san comes to wake us.' The orange haired vampire shook head vehemently against the request. He couldn't do that. He may have been hungry...it was true...but he didn't need to weaken Shiro just to settle his own desires right now. They couldn't afford it and Ichigo cursed his inability to control his hunger as well as Shiro could. He fed nearly twice as much as Shiro did and sometimes even _that_ wasn't enough. It was showing now in the clawing hunger gnawing at his gut insatiably in the need for his twin's blood even when he had fully indulged himself in it two days before. It wasn't fair on his beloved, Shiro could usually go without Ichigo's blood for four days should he need to, six at most ,before he really couldn't take it anymore. And Ichigo...he hated this dependant side of him...it made him look weak...weak against his Shiro-nii who was stronger in both mind and body than he was...and yet he couldn't deny his instincts. He could barely last three days as it was...

'Are you_ really_ going to argue over this with me_ again_, Ichigo?' Shiro hissed in sudden anger as he pushed his sleeve away from his wrist and pinned Ichigo's shoulder to his lap. Capturing Ichigo's bottom lip between his forefinger and thumb as he pressed the pads of his finger against a sharp fang that was already lengthened in desire for the promised taste of his blood. '_This_ tells me that you want it, King. Proves that you didn't take enough last time because you were afraid to take too much. You need to stop that hesitance of yours. Have you forgotten that you can never hurt me, Ichi, just as I can never hurt you.' Ichigo pulled his head free of the constraint as he averted his eyes guiltily. Running his tongue across the sharpened tips of his fangs as he looked away from his brother's narrowed gaze now. He didn't like this...it was always like this...Shiro was always the one that wound up protecting him, shielding him from the world.

Ichigo didn't want to hurt him more than he already had with his carelessness the night before. So it was only logical that he should refuse his brother's blood as punishment unto himself.

'B-but I already fed the day before yesterday! I c-cannot—.'

'Shut up, King! "I already fed the day before?" Che...that's the answer you're gonna give me? Your argument is _weak_, Ichigo. My response to that is 'So what?' You're hungry, I can always tell when you are. Listen to me, okay? We cannot afford to be weak right now...we still have a long journey ahead of us and we'll be passing through the Senkaimon in a few hours. You _cannot_ tell me that you will be able to control yourself when your energy gets drained by it.' Ichigo shivered under the force of his brother's frustrated anger. Realizing that beneath all the biting, scolding words...Shiro was more concerned about Ichigo than he would like to admit and it threw the younger twin a bit. It had been a long time since he had seen Shiro's eyes flash so angrily but were tainted with such deep, frightful concern at the same time. He sighed irritably, not willing to admit defeat just yet as he glared stubbornly through the messy bangs of his orange locks.

'And_ I'm_ telling you, Shiro-nii, that I will be fine. I already feed too much from you, you cannot keep spoiling me like this! I—.' The orange haired twin was promptly silenced by a soft pair of lips pressing upside down against his as Shiro leaned down to awkwardly seal their lips together. The small intimate touch was quick and heady, a tongue running against Ichigo's sensitive fang before the older twin deliberately drew blood across a blue tongue and shoved it into Ichigo's mouth to quiet his useless argument. Leaving the younger of the two panting and moaning at the burning hot, sweet taste that smeared across his lips, dripped into his mouth and trickled down his throat invitingly. It was too much...Ichigo shuddered at the divine taste. Golden eyes darkening to a bloodied red glow as lust began to fill through him, leaving him whining pitifully when his treat was taken away and the wound across his brother's tongue was healed.

'You are _far_ too considerate, King.' Shiro breathed softly with a small smile, resting his forehead against Ichigo's as he brought his wrist forward to rest it against blood smeared lips as glazed honey-golden eyes gazed up at him pleadingly at the offering. 'So what if I spoil my precious Otouto? That's what the older brother is there for. This is not even an argument we should even be having, my beloved King. We don't have much time.' The white haired twin pointed out softly. His black nailed fingers of his free hand now resting against a smooth neck as he caressed the soft flesh beneath the pads of his fingertips gently. Pulling his forehead away from Ichigo's to give him a better range of movement, he allowed his long white locks to cascade over his shoulder to brush tenderly and warmly against Ichigo's cheeks and head as it engulfed the both of them in their own little separate world. Golden eyes lidded behind pale eyelids as the tip of a nose nuzzled the prominent vein running just beneath the pale skin of Shiro's wrist as Ichigo inhaled his scent headily.

'Just take what you want, Ichigo. If you don't then I swear by Kami I will force feed you damn it—.' Ichigo was hardly aware of the words that his brother was speaking anymore. Not with that enticing scent pressed right in front of his nose as he trailed his tongue experimentally against pale skin and sought out the warm vein that was so richly filled with what he needed the most. At every resounding beat of Shiro's heart, Ichigo felt his own slow to keep the same pace before it sped up in tandem to his twin's the moment that he sunk his sharpened fangs into tender flesh. He heard Shiro's sharp intake of breath above him as he swallowed around his first mouthful headily. His head completely swimming in bliss as he savoured the taste spreading across his tongue so wholly.

It was the _only_ taste in the world that would truly give Ichigo such _undeniable_ pleasure as it sung through his veins like the sweetest chocolate he had ever tasted. But there was also no mistaking the velvety fire within it too. The scorching reminder of the unrestrained power that streaked through his brother's blood as it flowed into him now. Ichigo loved it, the feeling of completeness that washed through him as he sated that primal lust deep inside of him. He was well aware that his action would not only provide Shiro with his own sense of pleasure at his actions but also spread the sense of belonging between them as well.

The most intense feedings usually came from the vein in the neck, first and foremost. Which, both Ichigo and Shiro had learned early on was only to be used and instated when they were alone and would not be interrupted by others. But taking blood from the wrist held its own appeal just as much...this one was the feeding that felt more familial and warm. It was filled with the sensation of strengthening their brotherly bond that could sometimes get lost in all the pleasure that their _other_ more intimate bond pressed into them from all sides.

Ichigo soon found himself shivering softly at the warm fingers carding through his hair, sated golden eyes fluttering open half mast as Shiro pulled him back to rest against his chest a few seconds after Ichigo had closed the wounds with an apologetic swipe of his tongue and tried to right his body through the blissful ocean of sensations chasing through both his mind and heart simultaneously. He sighed softly when warm lips pressed against the top of his head and warm fingers twined within his beneath the blankets as they were once again resettled underneath them.

'Do you feel better now?' Shiro asked and Ichigo nodded, his irate state of mind from before had been swiped away by the heady bliss that his blood induced high caused. 'I'm glad that you are alright, Ichi. But next time don't freeze when strange objects come flying at you, Baka (5*).' Shiro warned, his forefinger flicking rather painfully against the middle of Ichigo's forehead as punishment. 'It's dangerous, damn it!' Ichigo nodded softly in apology, fighting the urge to glare at his brother's form and clutch at the throbbing skin of his forehead. He frowned however, when he was reminded of what happened the night before. That was right...he had been hit by that strange arrow and then things had started to go downhill from there.

'J-just what happened to me? I don't remember much.' The older twin sighed as he gazed at the closed curtains where the soft moonlight of the next night was already starting to filter in. It seemed that there was quite a bit that had to be explained, even though Shiro was not as good as Urahara at explaining the finer details, he could at lease rely the more important parts of the information that was still swimming confusedly through his mind.

'I'll tell you what Urahara-san told me last okay? Just bear with me because this doesn't make much sense to me either.' Shiro cautioned as he explained the information the blonde vampire had given him in short the night before. Ichigo couldn't help but frown as he listened quietly to his brother's words, it seemed kind of unbelievable that their parents could keep something like this from them for so long but knowing that Urahara had never lied to them before...it meant that they would have a bone to pick with their parents after all this was over. What else could they do now but wait for everything to work itself out and grow stronger...there wasn't much more that they could do. So information like this, whilst useful, didn't carry much weight for either of the twins except that they now knew there was an advantage to be had over their enemy and—.

'Oya, oya~!' A warm voice sing-songed joyfully as the shoji doors were slid open several moments later. 'The two of you are already awake?' Urahara asked through a bundle of black Shihakusho that had been freshly dried before he waved to the two of them with an infuriatingly white fan, playfully. 'Make sure you two dress quickly; there's some breakfast in the tearoom and Tessai-san will be greeting us at the other side of the Senkaimon in a bit. Now, off I go. We'll be leaving in an hour.' And then he was gone, leaving the two Shiba twins to roll their eyes at his behaviour before sharing a playful glance.

It seemed that their time had run out in this world...but they still had each other and that was all that mattered.

* * *

1* - Sanbantai – Third Devision

2* - Denkas – Used a plural but as most who read my stories know, it means Your Highness or Prince.

3* - Ero-Oyaji – Perverted Old Man

4* - Geta-Boushi - Sandal Hat

5* - Baka – Idiot for those who do not know

Ok, damn! I'm done...thank goodness now I can have a bit of rest. Thank you for reading, I hope to see you guys again soon. Keep your eyes open for the next updates, I'll be posting a oneshot between Kyoraku Shunsui and Ichigo sometimes next week before carrying on with my usual posts. Looking forward to it...

Ja Ne my honeys

Chocolate Carnival


	3. Chapter 3: Your Beloved

I thought this chapter would never end, it's been dragging in my mind for so long. It just refused to be written but I finally managed to get it out and I can put it behind me now to focus on my next one shot to be posted next week.

I love this story, I love writing it because I can twist Bleach canon facts to create a whole new world that I just love reading about myself. It's definitely one of my favourite stories to write, even if the reviews don't seem much. I'm still grateful for everyone who takes the time to read this story, I appreciate all the encouragements that you offer me!

Anyways, just a little announcement for those who are interested, before I start off this chapter, there's a poll that's running on my Profile Page to decide what pairing I'll be writing for in my next one-shot, I'd really appreciate your contribution as it'll give me a head start in beginning it this week.

For now though, you guys know the warnings. There is incest in this story, if you don't like then don't read, there'll be a sweet lemon somewhere in this chapter as well, I hope you enjoy, I had_ way_ too much fun writing it...

Alright...please enjoy my honeys, I'll see you at the end of the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Your Beloved**

Sharp golden eyes blinked rapidly to adjust to the harsh artificial lighting streaking through the cool night air of the human world the instant that they stepped out of the Senkaimon and into the perfect replica of the Urahara Shoten, situated just on the outskirts of Karakura Town. Ichigo, still a bit dazed from his travels through the world piercing gate, breathed a sigh of relief when the Hell Butterflies disappeared and his waraji clad feet finally made contact with solid earth beneath him just a little behind his twin's taller form. Coming to a halt in the middle of a relatively familiar tearoom empty of everything but a single presence kneeling respectfully on the ground before them. The orange haired twin turned a little to the side in embarrassment at the formality, forcing himself to acknowledge the tall, dark haired, glasses wearing vampire from the Kido Corps bowing respectfully at their arrival.

'It's is an honour to have your presence within our humble Shoten, Denkas. We will look after the two of you with the best of our abilities.' Ichigo sighed softly in exasperation, glaring over his shoulder at his brother's seemingly nonchalant shrug as he dropped the hood of a black reiatsu sealing cloak and ruffled his fingers through long strands of white hair irritably to set them back into their ragged place. Glancing down only briefly to acknowledge the older vampire's words and presence with a nod before his golden eyes gained a distant, thoughtful look as he tilted his head towards the early evening moon that was glimpsed through an open window.

With a sigh, knowing Shiro would not be any help in this as Ichigo was always the one left to deal with the formalities; he offered the vampire a small smile before urging him to stand again.

'Thank you, Tessai-san but _please_...you've known us since we were children. There's no need to for such heavy formalities. Whilst here, Shiro and I are just _'ordinary humans'_ as Urahara-san says. We cannot _afford_ for a single slip to give away our identity. And that includes being called Denka, so please stand. We have other things that need to be done rather than bowing to each other.' He said tenderly, borrowing some of his mother's words from a long time ago, as he turned his attention back towards the tall blonde haired vampire that stepped into the room a little behind them just as Tessai nodded and rose to his feet decisively.

'Then I shall heed your words, Ichigo-dono.' Huffing at the still formal response, Ichigo slumped his shoulders in defeat. He probably wouldn't get any better than that. But the tall man's presence still caused the younger vampire to gape at the startling height he presented now. He had forgotten how tall Tessai was. Near two meters in height that made Ichigo feel quite conscious of the fact that he was the shortest out of all three vampires gathered in the room. And damn it! Why did Shiro have to noticed too?

His twin was smirking teasingly down at him, tucking Ichigo's smaller from into his arms before he rested his chin atop a head of brightly coloured orange locks.

''S okay, King. I like ya small.' There was no consolation in the embrace or his words as Ichigo squirmed at the touch. Shiro was just doing it to rile him up now, to tease him, and it was working in chasing up the younger vampire's ire as he fought himself out of the restrictive embrace with a glaring golden eyes and snarling teeth that didn't seem to faze his brother's solid stance at all. Even though Shiro hadn't said anything against it, he was clearly teasing his little brother for his lack of height. Knowing full well that it was a sore subject between the two of them...the scant few inches that separated them.

'Mah, mah! Seriously...I _hate_ travelling by Senkaimon.' Urahara Kisuke whined somewhere behind the them, dragging their attention towards him as he snapped his fingers once and the twin shoji doors closed with a hollow clack of finality before they faded into nothingness once again. 'But, really now, you two. Are you done playing? Tessai too, we need to get them down to the labs. There are some things that we need to get before you can take off those cloaks and we can situate you in your new apartment.' The tall, dark haired, vampire nodded. Saluting his friend as he stepped behind the twins and ushered them out of the room and down the twisting halls with a respectful 'Hai, Tenshō (1*).'

Ichigo sighed, crossing his arms over his chest defensively as he was led towards the one place, the _one_ vampire lair, he hated entering willingly more than anything. Ever since they were little, the few times that both he and Shiro had gotten sick and Unohana-Taichō or their mother had not been able to heal them, they had been taken to Urahara instead. Their father was usually a trusting man, but he did not trust the current Taichō of the twelfth division that had taken over the Technological and Research Institute after Urahara had retired from his post after several long hundreds of years as the leader at its helm.

Understandable, Ichigo had never in his life met Kurotsuchi Mayuri, but the tales that swept through palace when they were young about how he treated his research subjects were sheer nightmare inducing. Both he and Shiro had spent many a sleepless day hiding away from those rumours until their father had playfully told them he would never allow the insane man to take them away. He had kept his promise, but he could not completely keep the two of them out of the scientific labs. And sometimes, Ichigo wondered if Urahara was not as bad as Mayuri was said to be, the few times that he had studied the two of them.

Cooing over one thing or another as he hooked them up to strange monitors and poked and prodded away with needles and exclaimed excitedly over his findings. That was why Ichigo dreaded stepping into the threshold that led into the cold, seemingly distant room filled with strange equipment and the overpowering scent of disinfectant. Shiro, though, probably having noticed his anxiety, laid a gentle hand upon Ichigo's shoulder to keep him grounded as he stepped next to his brother reassuringly. Something that the orangette was eternally grateful for. But his concern was unfounded in the end when Urahara stepped out from behind them and led the four of them into the smaller, more homely office at the back of the lab where a few things had been already been laid out on a large black desk.

The first, Ichigo recognized as two surprisingly stylish bracelets in black leather and silver, the other items were concealed in two small black cases. He frowned when the older vampire yawned loudly before motioning them over lazily. His long fingers splaying against a large packet of papers that seemed to contain reams of information Ichigo was sure he would never truly understand.

'I'm going to have to ask you to put these on.' Urahara said suddenly serious, the gentle teasing glimmer within his grey eyes vanishing as he pulled his hat from his head and ruffled his fingers through messy strands of blonde before taking the two bracelets in his hand and passing one to each of the bewildered twins. 'I know it's quite selfish to do this, but just as a precaution, I am going to be sealing 75% of your reiatsu. It's only temporary but we cannot risk your power unconsciously overwhelming the humans when you leave you here tonight. It will also act as a way to bring your level of power closer to those of a human.'

'We don't know how far the Vandenreich's power stretches, and keeping you at your current level, even when dormant, your reiatsu is highly overwhelming. I have left enough reiatsu for you to keep the soul bond open between you two and to materialize Zangetsu-san should you run into trouble. However, should you be in danger and cornered by an enemy stronger than what your current power is, the bracelets will shatter when put under strain and your reiatsu will become unsealed again.'

'That sounds unnecessarily dangerous, Ero-Oyaji.' Shiro said suddenly, golden eyes surveying the seemingly harmless device that was gripped between his forefinger and thumb. Black nailed fingers reaching up to still Ichigo's hand that had been preparing to slip the band over his wrist without question. Giving his brother a soft glare of caution, Shiro made sure Ichigo kept still for a while longer. His little brother may have been ready to trust easily, but Shiro was much more cautious than Ichigo as he held not only his own life in his hands but his twin's as well. 'What if someone attacks from behind and we cannot sense them? I don't like the idea of making myself weaker in the face of the enemies we caught a glimpse of yesterday.' Ichigo, not having thought of that, looked startled towards his brother with a frown before they turned their attention back to Kisuke, who just sighed softly.

'I don't like it either, Denka.' He said sadly. 'But, unless you want to wear those cloaks constantly...for however long it takes us to hear back from Soul Society, these are your only option. I said it'll cut off your reiatsu; I did not say that it would take your senses with it. You will still be able to sense reiatsu just as keenly as before and as far as I remember, both you and Ichigo have been trained in Hakuda (2*) by Yoroichi-san since you first materialized your Zanpactō as children. Humans are a lot easier to break than vampires, using even half the speed and strength you use to fight in hand-to hand-combat will surely kill them. They are not much of a threat to you. This is why I believe we can seal so much of your power.'

'Espada level and above Arrancar have never registered in this town before, and with the two of you here, sealing your reiatsu will also keep the higher level Hollows away as your power naturally draws them to you. So, will you trust me at least a little, Shiro-chan? If not, then I will assure you further that both I and Tessai will be keeping a close eye on you. As I said, it's more a precaution than anything. Being safe is better than being sorry later.' Shiro remained indecisive, not liking the idea of sealing his powers but it was Ichigo that nodded at the older man's words. Gazing reassuringly at Shiro's sceptical gaze, before he briefly nudged his brother's shoulder and laid a comforting hand across the one gripping his shoulder tightly.

'It's okay, Shi. He's right.' At Ichigo's words, the white haired twin finally nodded before he slipped the bracelet across his wrist where the small gap in the leather and the silver sealed seamlessly against his skin. He shuddered suddenly though, overwhelmed with the sensation of his powers being locked away so completely. There was a similar look of strain passing Ichigo's features as they felt the shackles bind their reiatsu and place it somewhere out of their reach. Even Tensa Zangetsu's usually calm voice, started in their minds at the restriction.

Shiro however, was openly glaring at the older vampire. Angered that he had not been warned about the side effects and strange sensations the bracelets seemed to have caused within him.

'Sorry,' Kisuke shrugged sheepishly. 'I forgot to say it'll feel a bit strange to get used to at first.'

'Just a little?' Shiro hissed, feeling suddenly exhausted as Ichigo laid his forehead against his brother's shoulder to ground both of them. 'Geez, you have _got_ to learn to warn us about things like these, Urahara!' He spat angrily but the older man merely chuckled as he gathered the next two items in his hand.

'But...where's the fun in that~? Then I wouldn't have gotten to see you and Ichigo's beautiful reaction.' Shiro's eyes narrowed as he contemplated ripping the older man to shreds before him but Ichigo's tightening fingers in Shiro's kosode to keep him in place, his voice ringing sweetly and calmingly within his twin's mind as Ichigo cautioned him against starting a fight when neither of them had the power to face Urahara Kisuke on even footing with their reiatsu sealed so severely.

'Anyways. There's only one more thing that is needed before you will look decidedly human.' Kisuke said with a reassuring smile. 'Those eyes of yours, gold irises on black sclera are unseen in the human world except for maybe the few insane ones that tattoo their eyes . Since you're going to be students taking night courses at the local university, I've prepared these.' Handing over the two rectangular boxes of black Ichigo had noticed earlier, they were encouraged to open them with a wave of hand. Where Ichigo flipped open the top to find a pair of modern glasses in orange and red resting there. They were in a slanted rectangular shape that was quite small and stylish. Making Ichigo wonder, not for the first time, just how much time Urahara Kisuke spent in the modern world to study the fashions more than the progress of human technology.

He glanced over his shoulder to see his brother sneering at the object as if it would bite him, but after a while he extracted his pair, a style similar to Ichigo's but accented with pitch black and a deep dark blue instead. He didn't slip them on though, glaring at the shop keeper as if it would hurt him as much as the infuriating bracelet had. There was a question in his glare that demanded an answer and the blonde haired man chuckled, pulling a white fan out of his sleeve as he hid his leering smirk behind it.

'Don't look so frightened, they don't bite, I promise. These are relatively harmless. And it was either these or contacts. Knowing Shiro, he would probably destroy the contact lenses within a day so I went with the glasses instead. There is a kido spell cast across the frames that will make your eyes appear normal to anyone looking at you. So...don't be shy, try them on. I've kept your eye colours the same, giving you your mother and father's eyes.' Urahara grinned, smiling in satisfaction as Ichigo slipped the pair over his nose with a heady scowl. Apparently the orange haired teen didn't like the feel of them. Well, Shiro at least had fallen quiet. Staring in awe at the different colour now gracing his brother's familiar golden orbs.

He breathed softly, tilting Ichigo's face towards him with the palm of his hand as he gazed deeply into startling chocolate brown eyes. Smiling fondly as he traced a black nailed finger across a slightly pinking cheek as they seemed to become caught up in their own world.

'It really looks like Okaa-sama's eyes,' Shiro said softly. 'They look beautiful on you, King.' Ichigo flushed outright but smiled in gratitude. Reaching up his own fingers to resettle the darker pair that had slipped down Shiro's nose where he was just as startled at the gold and black that had faded to display a darker pair of brown orbs. Always having been a bit darker than their mother's, Ichigo now found their father's eyes gazing back at him. He had never given a thought to their own eye colour, having accepted that they would never grow out of their 'feral' stage but this...Ichigo had never given a thought of how truly astounding Shiro looked with their father's eyes. It really almost made him seem human. Well a human with canines that were a little sharper and longer than others and a deadly smirk that could kill them in a second should they dare to look, he thought wryly.

'Okay, okay~!' Urahara interrupted their moment of intimacy with the clap of his hands. 'It's always cute seeing you two so affectionate, it'll fuel my secret fantasies for months to come. I'm glad you like my little invention, but now to the serious stuff, my little Princes. So listen carefully. We'll be taking you to your apartment now.'

**...**

'So? Did you get all that?' The blonde haired vampire asked his charge seriously, causing Ichigo furrow his brow in concentration as he stared at the large packet of information that was laid across his lap that the older being had presented to him. Shiro was laying against his shoulder, brown eyes closed behind skewed glasses as they had settled comfortably upon the couch of their new home. It was quite the large upscale apartment; two bedrooms, living and dining room, a large bathroom and en suite too that was filled to the brim with a bunch of gadgets, appliances in the kitchen and mind bending devices Ichigo had only glimpsed a few times when one of the other vampires had snuck it into the palace to amuse the twins with.

They probably would not even use half of the stuff, but getting used to it was going to prove quite a challenge as Urahara's large collection of instructions seemed to indicate. The apartment itself was situated close to the Urahara Shoten, for obvious reasons according to the blonde, a bonus if they needed any help but Ichigo could tell that Shiro was just glad they would not have to share their space with the blonde haired pervert instead. He had nearly killed the older vampire earlier for his 'fantasy' comment but that seemed to have passed as his twin had promptly fallen asleep on Ichigo's shoulder about half an hour into the two hours it had taken Kisuke to roughly outline how the technology worked here.

'I think so, though it may take a while for me to memorize everything.' Ichigo said absently. He wasn't really listening. He was more concerned about Shiro's health, who Ichigo knew, had been pushing himself far more than he should have in last twenty four hours. It was starting to show now, Ichigo could feel it...the deep pulling exhaustion that raced through his brother's veins as it pushed into his soul with the painful stabs of reminder that he too had also consciously and unconsciously contributed to this state. Ichigo tugged his bottom lip between his teeth as he carefully moved away from Shiro, laying his twin's head back on a black cushion before he tenderly pressed an affectionate kiss to an un-furrowed brow of white to keep him peacefully submersed in his slumber.

'Sleep well, Shiro-nii. I'll see you in a bit.' He whispered softly, lovingly, as he brushed stray strands of white away from sleep closed eyes before he gently took the newly placed glasses from Shiro's nose and put them away on the coffee table and out of harm's way. Pulling away quite reluctantly to lead the older vampire to the front door; Ichigo felt his shoulders slump with the press of his own rising emotion. He didn't know how long this little peace they had found would last, but Ichigo would try his best to keep Shiro happy for now as neither of them could tell when Ichigo's restlessness would start to affect them both. Keeping Shiro content also served as a way for Ichigo to find optimism in this situation, something that wasn't as easy as it should have been and also to keep himself immersed in something that would chase away the constant anxiety in his heart.

'Take your time learning everything, Ichigo-chan. Don't overwhelm yourself with getting everything perfect at once. Just be careful when you go out, this world's level of noise is difficult to get used to. The apartment itself is soundproofed; considering you'd be driven insane with your acute senses if it wasn't. I've also tinted the windows and settled the curtains and windows with a kido barrier to keep the sun out during the day. So it is _safe_ to move around in here. Also everything that you could possibly need_ is_ here...clothes, money, a stocked kitchen, instructions on getting to your university...you just worry about surviving, blending in and keeping out of trouble.' Ichigo nodded, even though his mind was still reeling, chocolate brown orbs glanced down at the maps, packs of information and newly written instruction in his hand with trepidation again. He should probably study them in detail later, but he really didn't have the energy to do anything but try to keep himself afloat for a while whilst he let Shiro attain the rest he had been depraving himself of.

'Thank you, Urahara-san. I don't know what we would have done without you.' Ichigo said sincerely, offering up a very rare and sincere smile of gratitude to the shop keeper as they shared a brief embrace before their goodbyes. 'It's fine, little Denka. I owe your father and mother a lot and what I don't do out of duty to Seireitei, I did because I genuinely respect you two.'

'I'll drop by tomorrow night to see how you are holding up. Get Shiro to rest though, he's been tiring himself out on purpose. I don't think he slept at all yesterday.' The older vampire had departed soon after that, reminding the orange haired vampire that they would be able to resume their training a week from now at his shop when things had started to settle down again. Ichigo had then been left to fiddle with the locks on the front door for several minutes before he finally resumed his walk back into their new home. Dark brown eyes, staring at the world from behind orange and red framed glasses, carefully memorised the objects in his path as he switched off the artificial lights and pulled open the curtains to let the moonlight in instead.

Bathing their new apartment with distinctive rays of silver that both Ichigo and Shiro were used to as he allowed his nocturnal instincts to lead him forward and bring the world into a sharper focus than before. When Ichigo passed by the living room again, Shiro was still fast asleep on the couch. Leaving the orange haired twin to smile indulgently at the scene. It had been a long time since he had seen his brother's exhausted form like this; where he un-furrowed the scowl in his brow and the deadly glare that rested within his golden eyes disappeared behind pale eyelids. It was difficult to see this though, because Ichigo _hated_ knowing he was the reason his brother pushed himself so much.

Out of courtesy and the genuine need to protect his beloved, Ichigo grabbed a warm, soft throw from the cupboard before he covered his brother's form. Chuckling softly as pale fingers curled around the plush blanket and tugged the warmth closer to his form as Shiro curled further into the soft cushions beneath him with a long sigh of contentment. Ichigo wanted nothing more than to join him, feeling the tug of his brother's exhaustion threatening to overwhelm him as well but he pushed it into the back of his mind with set determination. He had other things to do.

'You really need to think about yourself more, Shi.' Ichigo said sadly as he headed towards the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder at his brother's sleeping form. 'If you don't, how will I live without you? You seem to constantly forget, Onii-san that I can look after myself. I'm _not_ weak, you idiot. I'm just as strong as you and yet you still insist on protecting me so possessively. It should be the other way around, damn it! But you never give me the chance to protect you too!' The younger twin didn't know whether to curse in anger or cry in frustration but he decided to do neither.

'Well, I'm not going to have it anymore, Shiro. From now on, we'll both protect each other equally.' He said decisively. Preparing himself to tackle the task of arranging tea and learning to navigate a modern kitchen as a distraction to his unsettled emotion. Ichigo soon found that this world's kitchens weren't much different than the large kitchen present in the Palace of Light. Where Ichigo used to spend endless amounts of hours with his mother learning how to cook and brew the perfect tea; things he had learned to love as time had passed because it was the only time he truly got to spend with her and her gentle comfort. The orange haired vampire was even more content when he found quite the convenient tool to boil water in the electric kettle and soon two perfectly brewed cups of green tea stood before him. Well mostly, he had to admit that the tea leaves were a little less tasteful than the ones at home...

Even if Shiro was sleeping, Ichigo had made him a cup out of habit. Taking the warmed drinks to the living room in a tray, he settled himself back against the couch where Shiro was sleeping, rearranging his legs under him comfortably on the floor before Ichigo splayed the large collection of documents in front of him. Irritably pushing the orange and red glasses up his nose as he got used to their weight and touch for the future. How long they stayed like that, Ichigo strangely content to just listen to his twin's soft breathing, he couldn't tell. But by the time he was halfway through the reams of information, silently thanking his mother's insistence on teaching him to memorize large collections of information in short periods of time, the younger twin was only half aware of his beloved stirring form behind him.

It came as a soft breath first, a brush of fabric against the back of Ichigo neck before he suddenly jerked back in fright when warm arms curled over his neck and a warm chest draped across his back. Warm lips pressing against Ichigo's temple softly as he shivered abruptly at the pleasurable and unexpected touch. Unconsciously leaning back to get more of the warmth, the orange haired vampire groaned inaudibly at the tickling caress of long white hair sweeping against his cheek before it splayed over his shoulder and a few stray strands snuck beneath the material of his kosode teasingly the instant that Shiro pulled him closer. Ichigo curled his fingers around his brother's arm, arching into the touch as teeth nibbled at his ear playfully.

'W-what are you doing, Shi?' Ichigo asked breathlessly, feeling his blood suddenly ignite with a slow burn of heated contentment within him. He heard Shiro chuckle in his ear as he suddenly pulled back to nuzzle the top of Ichigo's head instead and pulled him into a tender embrace. Slipping behind Ichigo and the couch before he pulled his twin headlong into a warm lap. Where Ichigo flushed at the position he now found himself in, clearly able to sense Shiro's awakening arousal against his back.

'S-Shi...not now.' Ichigo implored with a darkening flush across his nose, his breath hitching in his chest as he felt the scrape of a fang trailing down his neck sensually. 'I h-haven't been in the bath yet...'

'You look far too adorable, Ichi. Those glasses suit you perfectly. Makes you look_ so_ edible that I want to devour you. Sometimes I really _hate_ that Geta-Boushi, but he sure as _hell_ knows how to make you even more adorable than you already are.' Ichigo didn't know what to say to those words but he leaned back into the embrace and allowed the connection between him and Shiro to flood open and saturate him in affection and sheer belonging with a soft moan. He sighed softly, too tired to make a retort as he closed his eyes and fought off the building headache all that information had instilled within his mind and the rapid rising heat his brother's proximity was chasing through his veins.

'You should get some more rest, Shiro. You've only slept for a few hours.' He heard Shiro scoff behind him, arms tightening around Ichigo's shoulders as he pressed his lips against the messy orange locks falling down the back of Ichigo's neck to brush against the collar of his black kosode. Causing the orange haired vampire to shudder at the touch before he leaned forward to get away from the sensation before the both of them lost control.

'I'm fine, King. How can I sleep when you are so close, enticing me with your scent and the beat of your heart.'

'B-but Shiro...' Ichigo whined.

'It's fine, Ichi. I don't want your blood tonight, I just want you close. To feel you.' Ichigo sighed in exasperation as he glanced over his shoulder and tried to scowl his irritation. But when there was just a timbre of sadness staining his brother's words and his now newly revealed golden eyes, Ichigo couldn't deny him his wish. They could fight it out later. So he pulled Shiro closer before Ichigo briefly touched his lips to another pair that were tinted with blood from having been bitten into. Shiro had probably dreamt something distressing, the younger twin thought, as he passed his tanned fingers through white locks softly in reassurance. Sweeping his tongue across his lips as he lidded his gaze in promise and made to stand.

'F-fine, I'll allow it for tonight. Why don't you go get something to drink from the kitchen and I'll start the bath. After that, it's back to bed. No arguments, Shiro, you're still tired, I can feel it.' Ichigo didn't know why he relented so easily, but he too was too tired to protest properly and how could he deny his beloved when he asked him so nicely if they could just stay close for the night. He wanted it too...

* * *

'Ichi...' Shiro whispered tenderly against the crook of a warm neck, nuzzling the soft skin he found there as he subtly inhaled the sweet scent that always clung to Ichigo's entire being. Allowing it to saturate his lungs in a dizzying rush. It had always been a heady mixture of warming scents that the older twin could never ignore whenever he got close...sweet orange blossom, mint and the unmistakable tinge of burning cinnamon and chocolate. _Chocolate_, he smiled softly. The one great weakness that Ichigo had and the only one treat he could never leave alone when it was placed in front of him.

When they had been younger, entering into the adolescent stage of their vampire years and still confused as to what the bond tying them together meant, Shiro had often given Ichigo chocolate just to see how his face would colour in bliss as he savoured the richness of the sweet across his tongue when it melted in the heat of his mouth. He would never forget those times, where there had been nothing pressing upon their shoulders...no pressure to succeed their father come their next possible birthday or the intense, sometimes painful training to become stronger, harsher, faster and smarter than all the other vampires that lived within Seireitei. And now, it was _just_ like then. Despite the circumstances that were strained and dark that had brought them here, Ichigo and Shiro could finally fall back into themselves for a bit and take it easy.

Doing things their busy lives had denied them before...experiencing some things that they hadn't been able to do for quite a while. And it showed now as Ichigo leaned eagerly back against Shiro's chest. His black nailed fingers curling around the naked flesh of his beloved's upper thigh as he sought to keep himself grounded against the teasing fingertips that trailed up and down his sides beneath the warm water of the bath. Sensually tracing his skin, heating him up from the inside as the tender movements hardly even shifted the surface of the water when Shiro took his time mapping out Ichigo's tanned flesh with the palms of his hands. Eventually he succeeded in pulling his orange haired twin into a deeply contented state of mind. Where he sighed softly in bliss and tipped his orange head back; mouth parting for rising breaths of strain to rush past petal pink lips as golden eyes pleaded for another pair of warm lips to seal over his.

Shiro didn't need to be able to read Ichigo's mind to _know_ what he wanted as he rested one hand on the skin of a smooth, muscled abdomen and brought up his free hand to tip back a complaint chin and turn Ichigo's head towards him to slide warm lips over Ichigo's tenderly. They instantly parted for his touch, Ichigo moaning softly at the more substantial rush of pleasure as he dug his nails into Shiro's skin and arched back to get more when a scorching hot tongue forced its way into his mouth and twined lasciviously with his own.

Ichigo wanted to curse the restrictive space, curse his inability to keep himself from rocking back and forth slowly to seek more of Shiro's touch, as he became more aware that even though the bath was big in accordance to some of the human standards, it was still too small to allow Ichigo a larger range of movement that he wanted. He now found himself firmly seated between his brother's legs, restricted in his movements but still squirming and shuddering headily at the heated arousal pressing against the small of his back which indicated his twin's obvious _need_.

'King, you're going to have to keep still. The water's going to spill.' Shiro warned softly and Ichigo swore irritably, a whine lodging itself in his throat as a warm blue tongue licked at the corners of his mouth before their lips were sealed in a breathless kiss again. He leaned upwards, resting his own hand across the one that was idly pressed against the inside of his thigh. Trying to lead it to where he needed it most but Shiro kept stubbornly still. The tips of black fingernails, which could lengthen to a deadly sharpness when provoked into anger, traced small, controlled but maddening patterns of pleasure into trembling flesh as Shiro forced Ichigo to realize that if he moved too much, not only would the water spill over the edge of the bath, but he would also antagonize Shiro's hardened arousal and shake the control his twin seemed to have found over himself for now.

Something Ichigo did not want to do because he _finally_ felt as if he could relax into his brother's gentle exploring fingertips that were unrushed and untainted with the fear of discovery that oftentimes drove them both insane under the roof of the palace. He wanted to bask in the sensations _just_ a little longer...muffling a moan against soft lips as Shiro's tongue rubbed expertly against the roof of his mouth, successfully dragging out the heady twining of lips in an erotic dance of tongues that was steeling Ichigo's coherency with its ragging caress and hitching breaths.

'Nggh...Shiro...' Ichigo panted softly as they broke apart, squirming against the thighs securely clamped against his hips. Shiro wasted no time in putting his mouth to use on another pleasure giving spot. Causing Ichigo to shift impatiently against him and moan loudly. He was in a similar state of arousal than Shiro but the soft fingertips never once strayed to the place where they were needed the most...always, _always_ streaking just past Ichigo's throbbing need as the white haired vampire chased up his burning desire for more within Ichigo's heart. Shiro was sucking softly at a fluttering pulse point, enticing his twin into a deeper arousal. Where he made his intensions clear through their opened connection, he wanted his beloved to beg for it...wanted Ichigo to crack first.

So far the orange haired twin had been able to hold out against his brother's teasing touches for about twenty-five minutes...twenty-five minutes of endless licentious torture that was driving him insane. But with the steam from the bath clouding his senses and adding to the dizzying rush of pleasure racing through his mind, Ichigo was definitely shattering under his brother's ministrations. Leaning back to bar his neck as sharpened canines dug into his skin teasingly, Ichigo gazed hazily up at the bathroom ceiling from behind a messy array of orange locks that was beginning to cling to his forehead from the sweat beading against his brow. Shuddering deeply as his resolve shattered into a thousand pieces with a decisive whine spilling from parted lips.

'S-Shiro...p-please touch me...I'm—.' The orange haired twin whined loudly, but his cry was silenced with a sharp nip to a trembling shoulder when Shiro finally relented his teases and wrapped long fingers around a hard and straining arousal in a firm grip. Setting a steady pace of pleasurable movement as Ichigo dropped his head back against his brother's shoulder. Sinking down into the water as an all consuming rapture began to heat through his veins. Ichigo's mind was lost in sensation, vision blurring as Shiro never once held back in the pleasure he gifted now that he had set goal in mind. Ichigo knew he couldn't last long, not long enough as he jerked back suddenly with a stifled cry when a sharp thumbnail pressed harshly into his slit.

The pain grounded Ichigo only for a brief second before his back arched and he sobbed softly. Water splashed across the edges of the bath, splattering onto the floor as black nails dug deeply into his brother's thighs as a deep reverberating moan resounded from his throat. Ichigo was struggling to keep himself tethered to reality as he shuddered headily, the tension he had felt building within him since the start of their intimate actions that night was building a steady rhythm of bliss within roaring blood that was singing deafeningly loud in his ears. Ichigo's heart was racing against his chest, squeezing tightly as Shiro measured every beat of his heart with the tip of his tongue resting against a fluttering pulse point.

He knew just how to push Ichigo onwards to that rising need to release that was chasing through trembling limbs as he twisted his palm around the tip of a hot arousal and scraped his nails _just_ so across the pulsing flesh. A loud wail of bliss echoed through the tiled room as Ichigo's muscles locked, hips surging forward in Shiro's grip as he clenched his eyes shut at the overwhelming torrent of pleasure that crashed through him. His seed tainted the water in his release but Ichigo didn't care. He was just glad for Shiro's limbs that were wrapped so securely against him, if they weren't, he probably would have sunk beneath the surface of the water by now.

The orange haired vampire's mind was spinning, deafened to anything but the rushing blood in his ears as the single panicle of completeness that rushed through him in an uncontrollable surge of unadulterated rapture threatened to overwhelm him completely. How long Ichigo spent floating through uncontained sensations and loving warmth, he couldn't tell. But he became aware of the world shifting around him when whispered words softly rang out in his ear, warm hands helping Ichigo to his feet and out of the water which neither of them had noticed was cooled untill now.

'S-Shi? W-what're you doing?' Ichigo asked in confusion, shivering as he struggled to find his balance the moment that a fluffy towel was thrown over his shoulders tenderly. 'We're not done yet.' He reminded hoarsely, trying to grasp onto the reality of the situation when golden eyes gazed pleadingly up at his brother's form. Shiro however, just smiled teasingly down at Ichigo. Dragging his twin's attention back to the obvious state his brother's arousal was still in. Shiro didn't ask Ichigo to help or even touch him though, which, even through the euphoric state still clinging lethargically to his limbs, angered Ichigo enough to scowl. Did Shiro expect that only _one_ of them would be walking away with sated bliss here?

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, panicking suddenly when his twin moved away from him and headed towards the closed bathroom door instead. The orange haired vampire lost his composure instantly, rushing across the tiled floor in lightning speed before he grabbed a hold of strong shoulders and forced his white haired twin up against the wall with a half-glare, half-sensual gaze the brooked no form of argument now that he had found his boldness. Shiro gasped softly in surprise, fingers shooting up to tighten against Ichigo's shoulders as the orangette leant forward to nuzzle Shiro's neck affectionately before his sly fingers curled around the base of a throbbing arousal.

Stubborn golden eyes bathed in a sea black sclera glaring at his twin for his trespass.

'Did you think I wouldn't give back?' Ichigo snarled, decidedly hurt by his brother's actions as he tugged his bottom lip between his teeth. Sinking down to his knees in front of his beloved with pain shimmering in sharp golden eyes. 'D-did you think I was still hurt—.' Ichigo was silenced almost instantly by soft fingers brushing through his hair before they came to rest against the back of his head. Tugging at the lengthened orange locks it found there tenderly before they tightened instantly when Ichigo, still stuck in a hazed sense of pleasure and emboldened by the rush of adrenalin through his veins, rewrapped his fingers around the base of Shiro's erection and leaned forward to trace a bold pink tongue across the hardened flesh tenderly. Taking pleasure in the rushing shiver he caused in his brother's skin before a groan of need stained the air in a gentle whisper between them.

It seemed that there were a _few_ times where Ichigo could render his brother speechless too.

'N-no, King. That's not what I t-thought at all.' Shiro said raggedly, reassuringly, as he struggled to maintain coherency through the ragging onslaught of rapture when his fingertips tightened their grip in orange locks the instant warm lips slipped over the head of his arousal and a tongue swiped against the sensitized flesh before pressing teasingly into the slit. 'S-shit! Ichi-go! I was j-just going to take you to bed, damn it! I-I told you like a few seconds ago..it's too cold in the bath. But seeing as y-you found another way to entertain yourself! O-oh _fuck_! L-let's just go with that.' The older twin breathed breathlessly after a long while, nails scratching against Ichigo's scalp with every dizzyingly rapturous suck to his arousal that coursed through his being as he laid his head back exhaustedly against the tiled wall and moaned loudly.

Lust glazed eyes fluttered shut at the racing sensations as Ichigo slipped forward to take him into a warm, wet mouth entirely. Shiro groaned lowly, thighs quivering under the strain it took to keep himself upright against the heady onslaught. _Geez_, it had been a while since he had been able to see this bolder side of Ichigo and hell would freeze over before he ever admitted that he _didn't_ like it. Another heady moan lodged itself in the back of his throat, fingertips pushing against the back of Ichigo's head to force him to take in more of his arousal. Breath hitching in his chest when a warm mouth, suckling so sweetly across his flesh, did just that and pulled him in further.

'I-Ichigo! Shit! M-more...please!' Ichigo was still lost in his own haze of post-orgasmic bliss as he allowed his brother's hand to guide him, not at all bothered by it as he set a steadily rising pace that he knew would drive his twin to insanity. And he was not wrong. The orange haired vampire reeled as he felt his brother's building rapture rise in a torrent across the link that they shared. His stomach filling with a warm, affectionate love at the knowledge that _he_ was only one that would _ever_ be able to give Shiro this pleasure just as _Shiro_ was the only one that would _ever_ be able to give Ichigo the uncontained, ragging rapture and love spreading so deeply through his veins and heart. Ichigo moaned against his mouthful; shivering at the scotching hot flesh pulsing against the tip of his tongue.

Shiro's heady growl of possessiveness dug fingernails into his twin's scalp almost painfully as his only warning shout echoed loudly against the bathroom walls before Ichigo's mouth was flooded with a bitter-sweet fluid he had not tasted in a while. He swallowed around it, allowing it to slide down his throat headily as he pulled back and unhooked his trembling fingertips from where they had been gripped around his Shiro's hips in a bid to keep them still through his ministrations. Ichigo murmured apologetically against pale skin though, realizing that he had left behind some bruises that were starting to fade when he pulled back.

Swiping his thumb across the corner of his mouth, Ichigo gathered some of the white fluid that had escaped before he smirked up at this brother's sated form and sucked his finger back into his mouth lustfully. _Very_ aware of Shiro's sated golden eyes that were trained upon his every move before Ichigo was helped to his feet several moments after Shiro had caught his breath. Even though he was still leaning against the wall for support, as if Ichigo had ripped away the floor from beneath his feet, he still gathered his beloved into his arms tenderly. Where he tucked his chin against orange locks, revelling in the sensation of Ichigo melting into his embrace and they both rested together for a long while in a comforting silence.

Ichigo eagerly leaned into the embrace, both of them catching their breath as they waited for the waves of rapture to pass before Shiro picked up the discarded towels again and with a little glare, handed Ichigo his again just as he began to wring out the water from his hip length white locks. His actions making Ichigo chuckle when an irritated scowl tugged a frown across a pale forehead when his hair just wouldn't dry properly and quickly enough. Ichigo, having settled his towel across his waist now, tugged the extra towel from his brother's fingers as he rested his hand on a lower back to lead him forward.

'It's okay, Shi. I'll help you. It's straight to bed though, you can barely stand as it is. I never knew my mouth felt_ that_ good.' Ichigo teased, escaping grabbing fingers as he sauntered through the bathroom door and headed down the hallway that lead towards their new bedroom. Hips swaying playfully with every step as he laughed delightedly at Shiro's curse from behind him as he struggled to keep up.

**...**

'Do you have everything you need, Shiro?' Ichigo called from the foyer of the apartment, settling a messenger bag of white and black across his shoulder as he sat against the step leading into their home, to slip on his sneakers instead. He was waiting patiently for Shiro to respond to his call, knowing full well that his twin was never far behind him. And he didn't have to wait long after that. Ichigo had been busy slipping a zip-up hoodie of black and red, that he left open, across his shoulders just as the white haired vampire rounded the corner with an irate huff spilling past his lips. He was dragging pale black-nailed fingers through his white hair as he resettled the dark blue glasses across his nose and sat down beside Ichigo to tug on his shoes as well.

And it was in that moment, that Ichigo really looked at his twin that he really began to hate the fact that Urahara had been left to buy all their human clothes. On him, Ichigo had found that his t-shirts and jeans were _way_ too tight, leaving the orangette to miss the familiar brush of soft cotton that his Shihakusho, yukata and kimono had always offered him. He didn't like that the world was now made aware of the body that he always kept hidden beneath his clothes. But at least Shiro didn't seem to be complaining. In fact the older twin seemed to have gained the new ability to tease Ichigo with lingering touches _right_ through the fabric of his clothes,_ just_ to see if he could rile his brother up. And if he wasn't doing that, Shiro would be praising the way that Ichigo looked in them with dark leers and sensual whispers.

Chocolate brown orbs turned the side in irritation, there was no denying that Ichigo was just a little jealous of Shiro's more baggy dark green cargo pants. It looked so much more comfortable than his black jeans, but it sure as hell did not help his concentration that Shiro's long sleeved black shirt was just as tight as the shirt that Ichigo wore underneath his hoodie. It showed off the hard earned, lithe body that Shiro had worked his entire life to gain and even Ichigo could never deny the beauty in his brother's form as it was put into the more revealing and tighter clothes of the twenty-first century.

It had an appeal that the orangette couldn't reject, thinking for a few seconds, that he could learn to like the clothes eventually._ If_ he trained himself to move smoothly in its restrictiveness.

'I think so,' Shiro said thoughtfully after a while, answering the question that his twin had yelled at him earlier. 'You were left in charge of the money Otou-sama left us in the, what did Urahara call it...a credit card? I _really_ don't understand how a square piece of plastic can represent money here but I do know that the damn Ero-Oyaji doesn't trust me much to give it to you instead.' The older twin huffed and Ichigo chuckled softly, pulling open the door and bracing himself for the sudden cacophony of sounds that assaulted his hearing the moment he stepped outside into the hallway. Urahara hadn't been kidding when he said the level of noise was difficult to get used to here. Ichigo was nearly overwhelmed every time he opened the door, and Shiro wasn't faring better if his heady scowl was any indication.

'It's not that he doesn't trust you, Shi. It's just that you were sleeping when he explained how the technology and money systems worked here. Other than the textbooks I have in my bag, a few pens and notebooks, I don't think you need much else other than your glasses. And _please_ don't take them off, we don't need to be discovered on our first night out in the open. And remember that we're Kurosaki now...not Shiba anymore.' Ichigo implored pleadingly, hoping that his twin had been listening to him when he had explained things to him earlier that evening. It hadn't looked like his Onii-san had been listening to him, but Ichigo could do nothing but hope.

'Kurosaki? Is that Okaa-sama maiden name?' Shiro asked, stunning his twin with the surprisingly intelligent question as Ichigo nodded briefly. Perhaps he had been worrying for nothing, Ichigo thought to himself as they exited the apartment building and walked into the streets below. Shuddering instantly when they stepped straight into the cold touch of the late autumn winds that brushed harshly against their skin. Ichigo instantly shivered at the frosty touch, leaning closer to Shiro's warmth to stave off his need to ran back into the warm apartment in search of safety.

'Shit!' Ichigo cursed uncharacteristically. Urahara had warned them of many things before: what to do, what not to do, but he never once told them that the weather was the opposite of what they had been experiencing in Seireitei a few days ago. It was quite the adjustment to make and along with the overwhelming and sometimes foul scents from pollution and deafening noises, Ichigo was finding a hard time enjoying himself everytime he stepped outside of the apartment building and into the streets. At least within their home, there wasn't a thousand things scrabbling for his attention, pressing into his mind from all sides where even his brother's hand clasped around his, was not enough to ground Ichigo completely.

'You okay, King?' Shiro asked concernedly several minutes later as they came to a halt just a few meters away from the building they had exited. Ichigo nodded absently at Shiro's question, apparently taking several minutes longer to reorient himself in the world than his twin had as Shiro waited patiently by his side. The older twin refused to let go of his brother's hand though, hating to admit that it was not easy to walk out into this world and keep one's sanity in check. But Shiro had found, with Ichigo so close to him, he could easily draw on the strength from his twin's presence as he locked away the overwhelming sounds, smells and lights that nearly blinded him on every street corner. It would take a while to get used to, it was true, but when brown eyes peered up at Shiro from behind red and orange glasses, the white haired vampire smiled softly.

Those eyes were remarkably clear and coherent again, gazing up at his twin with a new set of determination that was both frighteningly beautiful and affectionately warm to watch at the same time.

'Sorry, I still can't get used to it.' Shiro merely shrugged nonchalantly, not pointing out his twin's weakness as he allowed Ichigo to take the lead again as he seemed to know where he was going. 'It'll take us about twenty minutes to get to the university, but we still have an hour to explore the town before classes start. We can go get some sushi, if you want. Urahara-san said there's a really good shop a few blocks away from here.' Ichigo noted, thoughts trailing off in his mind somewhere as he cursed the damn blonde again now that he noticed the older vampire had even bought them matching but opposite coloured hoodies. And the way that the harsh artificial light caught the white material of Shiro's clothes as they moved towards their new destination, and the way that his long white locks swayed sensually with his every move...Ichigo was suddenly struck with the desire to slip his fingers through it, tug on it, beg to be taken against the wall of the nearest alleyway wall with their clothes still on.

No! Ichigo shook his head frantically_, that_ fantasy had just slipped into his mind from his brother's thoughts, _surely_. Causing Ichigo to start at the images before he grimaced at the effect they had on him, he was glaring wilfully over his shoulder as they stepped into the surprisingly upscale sushi shop. His fingernails were digging into the palms of his hands, threatening to draw his blood as he shuddered through the heady rush of flickering images before his eyes...not able to help the subtle spread of a flush crossing his nose at their intensity.

'Shiro! Control yourself, damn it!' Ichigo warned with a low hiss, shivering when fingers twined with his beneath the table they had chosen as they waited for their server to arrive. 'You're distracting me.' Ichigo startled as he heard his brother's chuckle, an ankle hooking around his before warm arms tugged him closer so that Ichigo was leaning against his shoulder tenderly. The both of them now made aware of the curious gazes that trained upon their forms from those seated in the shop at their open display of affection, causing Ichigo to pull away and situate himself at a safer distance.

Humans obviously would never understand the connection that bound them together and sometimes, their ordinary way of expressing touch and affection, could be considered taboo here. So Ichigo warned his brother against it again, frowning headily when Shiro scowled at him instead and sneered suddenly at anyone daring to look at them the wrong way.

'Tch, as if I care what a bunch of humans think of me.' He snarled lowly, irritably brushing long locks of white back over his shoulder as he scanned the menu in front of him. Ichigo just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb as he felt a headache coming on. But to keep his twin satisfied, he allowed their legs to rest together beneath the table where no one would see, and when they were not eating, simply talking softly together, Ichigo twined his finger's with Shiro's and rested his hand in his brother's lap to still the building anxiety that raced through their hearts.

'I know, Shi. But for now, please control yourself for a while. It's only three hours of classes before we have the night to ourselves.' Ichigo said tenderly. They still had a long way to go, but Ichigo was sure that it would eventually be getting easier as time passed. Now, they just had to get stronger with Urahara's help and find out just how big of threat these damned Vandenreich were...something Ichigo's need to protect, pushed him into wanting to do more than just sit idly by and wait for their entire world to start crumbling around them again.

And the first to fall under his protection was his brother. Ichigo would shield Shiro this time and keep him closer than ever.

* * *

1* - Tenshō – Store Manager

2* - Hakuda – Hand to Hand Combat

Okay, I think that covers it all. Well most of it, I kept the ending of this chapter simple as it would have ended on a cliff-hanger if I didn't. But for next chapter, I'll be bringing Ishida into this and Ichigo and Shiro will start their training with Urahara and I think I'll be bringing a few of Ichigo's human friends into this as well.

For now, please review my honeys. I'd really appreciate it! I'll see you guys in a fortnight again, next week I'll be posting a one-shot if I can decide on what pairing to do.

Ja Ne

Chocolate Carnival


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